Kam Chancellor hasn’t suited up alongside the “Legion of Boom” throughout the preseason, and the Seattle Seahawks don’t appear to be getting their safety back soon.
According to ESPN’s Josina Anderson, Chancellor’s agent Alvin Keels says the 27-year-old won’t report to camp unless his contract is addressed. Keels said:
“The team and I have been in contact, but we haven’t been able to agree on any compromise.”
The coming days should be fascinating, because Chancellor has three years remaining on a contract that general manager John Schneider doesn’t seem keen on restructuring.
Two weeks ago, Schneider told SiriusXM NFL Radio that he didn’t know when Chancellor would report to camp and said the Seahawks need to stick to their plan and principle. Seattle has a bevy of talented players, and adjusting contracts before they’re nearing expiration sets a dangerous precedent.
According to Spotrac, Chancellor is signed through 2017 and is due $16.885 million. Redoing his contract would give players like Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril leverage to pursue a new deal, something the Seahawks certainly want to avoid as a tighter salary cap approaches.
The franchise shelled out a necessary extension to Russell Wilson, but the opportunity cost of such a large deal was evident when Seattle was forced to release Tony McDaniel after re-upping Bobby Wagner.
Although money isn’t necessarily tight in the Pacific Northwest, the team doesn’t have an unlimited supply of cash. Chancellor deserves a bigger contract, but now, it’s a matter of which party caves first.