Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has made it clear that Pro Bowl safety Kam Chancellor will have a hard time getting on the field again after suffering a neck injury this past season.
That might very well be news to Chancellor himself.
According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Chancellor has no intention of retiring and will play in the NFL next season should he get medical clearance.
Answering one part of a looming question for the #Seahawks: S Kam Chancellor (neck) does intend to play in 2018 if he gets medically cleared, I'm told. No plans to retire (despite some murky social media posts). His $6.8M for 2018 was fully guaranteed on 2/9.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 13, 2018
The interesting dynamic here, as Rapoport notes, is Chancellor’s $6.8 million salary with with the Seahawks for next season became fully guaranteed on February 9. It seems that Seattle and Chancellor might have a different opinion on his medical situation. That could lead to a bit of a rift between the two sides, especially with the Seahawks potentially looking to get younger on defense.
Fellow veteran Cliff Avril is also dealing with a neck injury and might be forced to retire. Meanwhile, there’s been rumblings out there that the Seahawks will move on from the likes of Michael Bennett, Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas this spring.
When healthy, Chancellor is among the game’s best safeties. The 29-year old has earned four Pro Bowl appearances in his seven full NFL seasons.