Seahawks: Kam Chancellor Playing for His Future in Seattle

With one season left on Kam Chancellor’s contract, the Seattle Seahawks are unlikely to be in any rush to offer the five-time Pro Bowler an extension.

No one doubts Kam Chancellor‘s significance to the Seattle Seahawks. The hard-hitting strong safety brings an intimidating presence to the secondary, which cannot be ignored.

And yet, you can make a case that the 2017 campaign will be the most important of Chancellor’s professional career. For all intents and purposes, he will be playing for his future in Seattle.

Understandably, some people will ask why this is the case, given the aforementioned comments about how much the Norfolk, Virginia native means to the Seahawks. In that respect, there are a several key factors to consider.

The first is Chancellor’s contract situation, with 2017 representing the final season of the four-year extension he signed back in April 2013. From his perspective, he is hoping to agree another extension during this offseason.

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Unfortunately for the 28-year old, the Seahawks’ front office will conceivably take a different approach, which leads us to the second factor. With concerns growing that he might be beginning to break down physically, they may want to see how durable he is next season, before making any further commitment to him.

Chancellor is coming off a decent season, which resulted in his fifth Pro Bowl selection – albeit as an alternate. Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact he has missed a combined nine games during the last two campaigns, and not performed to the same level as previous seasons.

The last factor which will likely play into his future, is how much the 2010 fifth round draft pick thinks he’s worth. All Seahawks’ fans remember the mistake he made, in deciding to hold out in 2015, leading to him missing the first two games of the regular season.

It’s entirely possible Chancellor’s absence to begin the campaign, played a significant part in derailing the Seahawks’ challenge for a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance. Apart from that, at the time he was already the highest paid player at his position.

With this in mind, how much will the two-time Second-Team All-Pro want? He is scheduled to make $7.125 million (including his roster bonus), in 2017.

The question is, would Chancellor’s pride allow him to continue accepting around $7 million per season moving forward, or will he demand more? Going against him, is that he’s not performing at the same level as when he decided to hold out.

However, you know at least one team will offer the Super Bowl XLVIII champion (and by the way, he should have been MVP of that game) a pay rise. At that point, he would have to decide between staying with a contender, and potentially going to a less-talented team.

Make no mistake about it, the preference for both the player and the team, is to remain committed to each other past the 2017 campaign. However, each side has to consider all options. (For example, it’s conceivable the front office may prefer to just offer a one-year extension and continue to review the situation on an annual basis.)

As such, next season will be the most crucial for Chancellor, since he entered the league seven years ago. As a team captain, he is in many ways the leader of the Seahawk’s defense, but it won’t count for much if his body is unable to withstand the punishment that comes with 16+ games of football.

Next: Is Stephon Gilmore a Realistic Option?

What’s your position regarding Chancellor’s future in Seattle? Would you prefer to give him an extension now or are you happy to let him play out his current contract, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments section.