Jay Harrington is not leaving SWAT (Deacon is expected back for season 8)

Following the departures of Alex Russell’s Jim Street and Kenny Johnson’s Dominique Luca early in the seventh season of SWAT, many fans have been worried that Jay Harrington’s Sergeant David 'Deacon' Kay could complete the trifecta — and understandably so. 

In the sixth episode of season 7, with Annie returning to work, she and Deacon struggled to balance life with them both working full-time jobs. After Annie had supported him for all these years while he was on SWAT, Deacon told her that he would be willing to retire from SWAT and put a bigger focus on his security company so that she could have her moment to shine after years of being the one to make sacrifices for their family. 

When Luca was shot and had to walk away from 20 Squad, Deacon wavered on his decision to retire but in episode 8, it seemed like he had made up his mind about his future on the team. When Hondo heard about Deacon’s possible retirement from Nichelle, who in turn had heard the news from Annie, Hondo confronted Deacon about the rumor which was when he came clean that he had been hoping to be the one to break the news to Hondo and that it was something he and Annie had discussed before Luca got shot. 

“It’s something that Annie and I talked about before Luca got shot. I know this is bad timing, but I wanted to honor my promise to Annie, and then with the uncertainty of Luca’s recovery, I put off saying something,” Deacon told Hondo, explaining that he, “didn’t want to burden [Hondo] with losing another team member.” 

Deacon explained that it’s time for him to make a change and follows through with giving Hondo his notice, hinting that he will follow through with the plan to retire from SWAT. This storyline is one that has left fans concerned that Deacon will be leaving the show as well, but that does not seem to be the reality. 

Deacon retiring from SWAT is likely to be reversed 

As fans know, SWAT season 7 was supposed to be the show’s final season. This means that the retirement storyline for Deacon was likely introduced in an effort to bring his storyline to a natural conclusion as the series came to an end with its series finale. However, CBS has since reversed its decision to cancel the series and has ordered an eighth season of the show. 

With SWAT no longer ending, we’re expecting the writers to find some way for Deacon to remain on SWAT as it’s fully expected that Jay Harrington will be coming back for season 8. While they could still follow through with the retirement storyline in the season 7 finale – which was set to serve as teh series finale – season 8 could find a way to bring Deacon out of retirement and return to 20 Squad alongside Hondo and the team. 

There is even a chance this storyline might be ditched before the season finale, as it’s unclear at what point in the season the show was at when word came down that CBS had ordered another season. With the renewal coming in before the episode aired, there is a chance the writers pivot away from the retirement storyline before Deacon actually follows through but even if they don’t we’re not worried about Deacon leaving the show entirely. 

Jay Harrington has hinted that he’ll be coming back for SWAT season 8

While CBS has not confirmed the cast for SWAT season 8, it’s expected most if not all of the season 7 series regulars will return for season 8 including Jay Harrington. 

Harrington was on set when Shemar Moore shared the exciting news with the full cast and crew after word broke that CBS had decided to bring the show back for another season, celebrating the unexpected renewal alongside the full team. Not only was Harrington still on set when word broke, but he took to Instagram to celebrate the news hinting that he’ll be coming back as part of the new season CBS surprised fans with. 

“SEASON 8 is official!!! Can’t thank SWAT fans enough!!!” Harrington wrote on Instagram following the show’s renewal. “22 more episodes coming your way… Let’s roll.” 

The message seemed to hint that Harrington won’t be walking away from the show and will be coming back for the 22-episode season CBS has ordered for the 2024-25 season. Of course, this could change during the offseason as contracts are negotiated; however, all signs seem to point towards Harrington returning to play Deacon in the upcoming eighth season of SWAT when it arrives on CBS next season!