General manager John Schneider Tuesday shot down speculation that the Seahawks planned to move on from four-time Pro Bowl safety Kam Chancellor. Speaking to reporters at the annual NFL meetings in Boca Raton, FL., Schneider insisted that Chancellor “will absolutely be back in 2016.”
The 28-year-old Chancellor, who enters his seventh season with the Seahawks, was one of the biggest stories in the early part of the 2015 season when he held out of training camp and then the first two games of the regular season (both losses) in a dispute over the four-year, $28 million contract he signed prior to the 2013 season.
The Seahawks refused to re-work in any fashion Chancellor’s deal. With no other option, he returned to the team, prompting speculation that he would seek a trade following the season.
Chancellor himself debunked rumors that he would leave last week on Instagram, calling Seattle his “second home” while adding that he “didn’t plan on going anywhere unless some higher power places me elsewhere.”
Schneider didn’t elaborate on why he felt so certain Chancellor would return next season, but told ESPN’s Sheil Kapadia that, “Kam is an extremely prideful, powerful person. There’s a lot of family things that stay in- house. That’s one of them. I can’t speak more highly of a guy. (The holdout) was a tough, though thing for everybody to go through last year, so I’m glad he feels that way.”
The Seahawks selected Chancellor in the fifth round (133rd overall) of the 2010 draft out of Virginia Tech. Chancellor has started 72 of 88 games, recording 354 tackles and 10 interceptions.
Chancellor produced one of the biggest plays of his career during a 31-17 victory over Carolina in the 2014 playoffs, returning a Cam Newton interception 90 yards for a touchdown, the longest such play in Seattle’s postseason history.
5 Comments
I think Kam knows how much he’s appreciated by everyone, including us armchair quarterbacks. With their complementary styles, he and Earl work so perfectly together I don’t think either would be as happy anywhere else . . .
The team lost at least two games because of Kam’s holdout. He would have been the difference against the Rams and against the Bengals and Panthers he blatantly wasn’t up to date on the new defensive schemes and personnel. If Schneider is confident he’ll be in camp on time Kam must have been accountable for his actions. There’s only a small window for teams to win a Super Bowl and it can be gone before you know it. A long protracted holdout can hurt a team’s chances and if the Hawks won 13 games instead of 10 things could have been much more different in the playoffs.
There is always a counter to the fan who believes we would have been 2~0 to start the season with Kam ending his holdout to join the team in St. Louis.
First as per your argument he wouldn’t have been “up to speed” in that game and Seattle has done a fine job of losing games in Missouri with Kam in the line up in years past. Perhaps Kam would have hurt the cause that day.
Secondly all road games are tough and did you watch The Packer loss?A. Rodgers was ice that night.They were absolutely the better team that night. I personally think Kam wouldn’t have been the deal breaker even if they were fortunate enough to arrive at 1~0.
Was he the reason they lost in Cincinnati? I would beg to differ that it was the whole Legion of boom and liability Cary Williams as the X factor as he also was in the Panthers game.In fact it was the Panther game that essentially sealed the decision to stop the Williams madness/employment as a Hawk.
In the playoffs lets say the Panthers had to come to Seattle.They already had the confidence that hey had won in Seattle. Who knows the outcome.
I do concur that Kams holdout was not astute and in fact in poor taste with “no win” painted all over it. Would he have benefited if he was married to Micheal Bennetts sister in law? Because Mike was having dumb emotions over a possible hold out too and the wife nipped that right in the bud. My dad always said to keep your life from being miserable rule #1 the wife is always right. In this case?Zero argument.
Kam had Fonzie syndrome.He has yet to admit he was totally wrong.He knows in his heart he was. But no scapegoating.Seattle just wasnt good enough in 2015 to win the Super Bowl.They matched up poorly vs the Panthers even with Kam in the line up.For one season NC got us.That is fact not speculation.