Kam Chancellor And The Seattle Seahawks Soaring Farther Apart
In an age that is seeing sports salaries climb higher and higher, the Seattle Seahawks and Kam Chancellor don’t seem to be flying on the same current.
The average Seattle Seahawks fan isn’t interested in how their favorite players get paid. They want to see the team running around on all cylinders and causing chaos for the opposition. How that gets done is left to the owners. That’s where the Seahawks management finds itself. Chancellor hasn’t played in a game and the natives are restless.
In 2013, Kam Chancellor and the Seattle Seahawks agreed to a lucrative deal that was mutually satisfying. Two years later, amid a changing market and Seattle’s ability to offer other players better contracts, a bitter and nasty dispute has been born.
The Seattle situation with Chancellor is a prime example of a good deal turning sour. What started out as a contract that satisfied both parties has quickly turned to trade rumors. If Seattle GM John Schneider stands his ground on the details of the contract, the Seahawks could be looking at a long year. The holdout has already extended beyond 25 days.
Losing one of their best defensive players and leaders could be a serious blow to the Seahawks’ drive toward Super Bowl 50. Having the detractions and attention that contract disputes cause will certainly have an effect on the Seahawks’ play.
Training Camp is the focal point for a player to acquire the right mindset for the upcoming season. Even if the Seahawks can get Kam to play, will he be able to get himself psyched and pumped? The first few games are emotionally draining for most players, not to mention physically demanding.
The bottom line is money.
Chancellor, a fifth-round pick in 2010, jumped on the chance to re-up with the Seahawks for $28 million over four years. Seattle fans were happy, Chancellor was happy, and management was happy. But as the Seahawks began to mature and turn into an NFC powerhouse, Chancellor saw the young talent around him getting signed to larger contracts. As he saw the numbers inflate, he decided he needed to renegotiate.
If Kam decides to hold out the entire month of August, he could stand to lose over $1 million. For each game he refuses to play, the Seahawks will deduct a penalty. That could be anywhere from $250,000 to $264,000. That comes to roughly one-seventeenth of his salary for preseason and regular season games.
Asked about Chancellor, Richard Sherman told The Seattle Times that he and the Seahawks weren’t focused on the matter.
“I don’t think we’re wondering about anything. I think we’re focused on what we’re doing here and if they work something out with him that will be phenomenal and we’ll welcome him back with open arms. But if not, then we’ll focus on what we have here and continue to play.”
What will it take to bring Seattle’s hard hitting Chancellor back?
[Photo by Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images]
