INQUISITR.COM / Sports

Should The Seattle Seahawks Have Taken Care Of Kam Chancellor?

By Ernest Shepard
Published on: 17:28 PST, Sep 25, 2015

Kam Chancellor has ended his holdout.

The three-time Pro Bowl safety of the Seattle Seahawks finally ended his self-imposed exodus from the team earlier this week. After watching the Seahawks fall to an alarming 0-2, he chose to come back at the right time. It is the hope in Seattle that the Seahawks will right the ship with the hapless Chicago Bears coming to town. Was there a way that Chancellor and the Seattle Seahawks could have avoided the impasse?

When you ask some people, they will say, only if he was shown the money when he asked for the team to change a couple of things.

Entering the season, Kam Chancellor is playing in the second year of a four-year contract, $28 million deal. At first glance you are scoffing at the notion that he may have wanted new money. That was not the case here. What Chancellor wanted was for the Seahawks to restructure his deal, front-loading $4 million from what he would have been owed in 2017, guaranteeing that he receive it next year. The Seahawks balked. According to a detailed report by USA Today, the sides were only $900,ooo apart.

Those tense contract talks led to a lengthy holdout, which may or may not have had an effect on the Seahawks’ start of the season.

After the Seahawks lost to the Green Bay Packers, Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers was quoted as saying that he was able to “find some soft spots” (courtesy of the New York Times, via the Associated Press) in the Seattle secondary.

With many of Rodgers’ passes going up the middle of the Seahawks’ defense, Kam Chancellor’s presence was missed. In the week prior, St. Louis’ quarterback Nick Foles found a couple of areas in the same spots that he exploited.

Kam Chancellor was obviously missed by his team.

He covers so much ground when he plays. It allows Richard Sherman and other Seahawks’ cornerbacks to stay with the player they are defending. If Chancellor is on the right side, teams stay away from that side. It renders the opposition to a one-dimensional team.

Did the Seattle Seahawks cost themselves two wins over a measly $900,000?

Backup safety Dion Bailey blew a coverage when he fell down during a touchdown catch in the St. Louis game. Nothing against Bailey, but Kam Chancellor would have made the play.

Chancellor is one of the leaders on the Seahawks. Most people will argue that he is the heart and soul of the team. He helps the defense get into their respected positions on the field. There is a lot of communication that goes on. Chancellor has a voice that rallies the team.

It is hard to imagine that a team with such defensive players that includes Richard Sherman, Bobby Wagner, and Earl Thomas would be so reliant on a strong safety. Kam Chancellor is not your ordinary player at that position. Which is why he felt like the Seahawks needed to make him whole.

His holdout had created mixed feelings in the Seahawks’ locker room. Chancellor admitted such in a text message that he sent to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

“Ima go help my teammates that are understanding of my position and the ones who aren’t. God forgives all, why can’t i? Time to help us get back to the big dance. I can address business after the season. Me and Marshawn started a mission 2 years ago. I can’t let my Dawg down….Real talk.”

It was clear that his biggest supporter was Seattle Seahawks’ running back Marshawn Lynch.

One of his detractors was Earl Thomas. Thomas was not shy about wanting his teammate to end his holdout (via the Business Insider).

“At this moment, he’s not battling with us, so I can’t really tell you what [his absence means]. It would be great if he comes back, but we’re gonna keep on truckin’. You never know what’s going on with someone in that situation. He’s in a whole other place right now. He’s handling his situation, [rather than] helping us. I try not to deal with that energy.”

The Seattle Seahawks needed Kam Chancellor’s help in their previous two games. His presence alone could have made the difference in being 1-1, or 2-0, versus 0-2.

Everything could have been avoided had he reported to work sooner. At the same time, the Seahawks could have done what many feel would be the right thing to do by paying him the upfront money he was seeking. Thankfully for Seahawks fans, Chancellor will not miss any more time away from the team, barring some form of injury.

The Seattle Times reports that he will suit up to play against the Chicago Bears this Sunday. It will signal Kam Chancellor’s first action with the Seattle Seahawks in over a month.

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images Sport)

Share this article: Should The Seattle Seahawks Have Taken Care Of Kam Chancellor?
nfl Kam Chancellor Seattle Seahawks
More from Inquisitr