Jason Cole of B/R reports that there is “incredible pressure” on the Seahawks following their Week 1 loss to the Rams to get a deal done with holdout S Kam Chancellor.
According to Cole, there were at least two Seahawks players that were visably upset because Chancellors replacement Dion Bailey wound up blowing coverage on Rams TE Lance Kendricks that led to a game-tying touchdown.
Cole adds that this play and others such as the Tavon Austin rushing touchdown likely would not have happened had they had Chancellor on the field.
There’s no doubting Chancellor’s impact on the team’s defense, but their front office is also balancing the reciprocal effect this could have on other players like DE Michael Bennett, who reportedly believes he too is worth more than his current salary.
On Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that the two sides have negotiated an agreement in the past few months in attempt to bridge the gap between his current compensation and what he feels he should be paid.
According to Rapoport, Seattle offered to pay Chancellor $8.1 million in 2016, but he’s reportedly looking for $9 million, which leaves them $900,000 apart. Rapoport adds that there likely will be no changes to his 2015 compensation.
There’s also the issue of the fines Chancellor has incurred with his holdout. He’s hoping to have his fines wiped away, but the Seahawks haven’t been willing to wave all of them yet, according to Rapoport.
Chancellor, 27, still has another three years remaining on his five-year, $29.323 million contract that included $17 million guaranteed. He stands to make base salaries of $4.55 million (2015), $5.1 million (2016), and $6.8 million (2017).
In 2014, Chancellor appeared in 14 games and recorded 78 tackles, one interceptions, a forced fumble and six pass defenses for the Seahawks. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 20 safety out of 87 qualifying players.
We’ll have more regarding the Seahawks and Chancellor as the news is available.
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