The final holdout of the 2015 NFL season appears to be coming to an end, according to Adam Schefter and Stephen A. Smith of ESPN (Twitter link), who report that Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor is reporting to the team.
“Ima go help my teammates that are understanding of my position and the ones who aren’t,” Chancellor said in a text message to Smith, according to Schefter. “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.”
As Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports notes (Twitter links), there are still plenty of issues for Chancellor and the Seahawks to iron out, even if the club doesn’t plan on altering his contract at all. The team has told Chancellor’s agent, Alvin Keels, that they weren’t going to forgive the fines the Pro Bowler has piled up during his holdout, but they’ll likely discuss a possible reduction. To date, Chancellor has forfeited more than $2MM, including lost salary, bonus money, and fines.
After signing a four-year contract extension with the Seahawks in 2013, Chancellor saw his $7MM annual figure surpassed by a handful of safeties in the two years since then, and wanted a raise heading into this season. Reportedly, the 27-year-old hadn’t been seeking any extra money for 2015, but wanted a chunk of 2017 money pushed forward to 2016. The two sides were said to be less than $1MM apart, but with three years still remaining on Chancellor’s deal, GM John Schneider and the Seahawks were reluctant to give in to his demands and set a precedent going forward.
Without Chancellor in their lineup, the Seahawks have started off the season 0-2. Of course, it’s possible that the team would have the same record even with their star safety in the mix, since the schedule began with two tough games in St. Louis and Green Bay. Still, Chancellor’s Week 1 replacement Dion Bailey did get burned for a key touchdown against the Rams.
Assuming Chancellor and the Seahawks are able to reach an accord on the issue of his fines and lost salary, I’d expect him to suit up for the team’s Week 3 contest against the Bears. Before that can happen, the Seahawks will have to clear a spot on the 53-man roster for Chancellor, who had been on the reserve/did not report list.
