HEADLINES

Kam Chancellor

Community Tailgate: 8/17/15

August 17th, 2015 at 6:38pm CST by Zachary Links

We’re still a couple weeks away from the start of battles on the NFL gridiron, but there’s no offseason when it comes to debate amongst fans. This summer, we launched a new series here at PFR that will be known as the Community Tailgate. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

Today, we’ll be discussing the Seahawks and safety Kam Chancellor. The 27-year-old is in the midst of a four-year, $28MM deal that runs through 2017 and is holding out to ensure the highest level of compensation as he enters what should be the most productive years of his career. In 2018, he’ll be entering his age-30 season and his payout could be fairly limited at that point.

The question is – will the Seahawks will bend? The Seahawks just paid big bucks to quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner and were forced to cut defensive tackle Tony McDaniel due to financial constraints, so it’s not as though they’re cash flush. Giving into Chancellor’s demands could also set a dangerous precedent for other Seahawks stars going forward.

Chancellor – who racked up 104 total tackles with seven pass deflections and one interception in 14 regular season games last season – is a key part of Seattle’s defense and he’s even more critical to the team this year with Earl Thomas potentially sidelined to start the year. However, the advanced metrics don’t portray him in such a flattering light. In 2014, he graded out as the 20th best safety in the NFL according to the advanced metrics used by Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d). In the year prior, Chancellor came in as the 12th best safety in the NFL.

All things considered, do you think the Seahawks should give Chancellor a substantially better deal? Or should they hold the line and hold him to his current pact? Let us know in the comment section below!

Latest On Seahawks, Kam Chancellor

August 13th, 2015 at 4:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor, who is currently holding out for a new contract, was under the impression that he’d be given a new deal once he climbed the ranks to become one of the top safeties in the NFL, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. When Chancellor signed his current deal, he sacrificed some upside in exchange for additional security, and now he’s looking to recoup some of those dollars.

Chancellor is in the midst of a four-year, $28MM deal that runs through 2017. As he enters what should be the most productive years of his career, his camp wants to ensure the highest level of compensation. In 2018, he’ll be entering his age-30 season and his payout could be fairly limited at that point. Of course, it’s far from guaranteed that the Seahawks will bend. The Seahawks just paid big bucks to quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner and were forced to cut defensive tackle Tony McDaniel due to financial constraints.

The 27-year-old is a key part of Seattle’s defense and he’s even more critical to the team this year with Earl Thomas potentially sidelined to start the year. There’s also precedent for the Seahawks reworking a deal after running back Marshawn Lynch successfully forced their hand last year.

Chancellor racked up 104 total tackles with seven pass deflections and one interception in 14 regular season games last season. Last season, he graded out as the 20th best safety in the NFL according to the advanced metrics used by Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d). In the year prior, Chancellor came in as the 12th best safety in the NFL.

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Chancellor, L.A.

August 6th, 2015 at 8:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Tonight’s look at the NFC West..

  • Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Facebook) hears that Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor could end his holdout if he is better cash flow over the first two years of the remaining three on his current deal. A team tight against the cap but somewhat cash-rich like the Seahawks could get that done by converting the majority of his base salary over the next two years ($9.65MM) to a signing bonus, she posits. As Anderson reported earlier today, Chancellor is prepared to take his holdout into the regular season if necessary.
  • Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) hears that the Seahawks will not do any kind of new deal with the safety unless that deal is highly favorable for the club and ties him up for the rest of his career. Despite Seattle’s stance, GM John Schneider is keeping negotiations peaceful. The solution, Cole says, could be a “band-aid” deal, like they did with Marshawn Lynch. To satisfy Lynch last year, the Seahawks moved money from the back-end of the contract to the current year.
  • Sources have told Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports that, at next Tuesday’s special meeting in Illinois, NFL owners will discuss implementing a program to allow fans to make deposits to get on a waiting list for tickets at a temporary stadium in Los Angeles before the end of the calendar year. The goal would be to start building a season-ticket base for the 2016 season now, rather than waiting until it’s clear which, and how many, teams will be making the move. The Rams are one of the teams in the mix to make the move, of course, but the Chargers and Raiders could also wind up in L.A.

Seahawks Notes: Bennett, Chancellor, Wilson

August 6th, 2015 at 10:25am CST by Luke Adams

The Seahawks recently extended Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner with big-money contracts, and the roster is beginning to look awfully top-heavy, with several players set to earn $10MM annually over the next few years. Defensive end Michael Bennett, who isn’t overly pleased with his current deal, also expressed some concern that solid role players like Tony McDaniel are being let go due to cap concerns.

“That’s what people don’t understand, people talk about Tony McDaniels like ‘Oh, he’s just another guy,’ but think about, how does a Bobby Wagner make those tackles?” Bennett said to Frank Schwab of Yahoo! Sports. “These are the workers. It’s like the clothing line. You see the people who own the clothing line, but you don’t see the people who work and make the clothes. The middle man is always needed for success in this league.”

Of course, if the Seahawks reward disgruntled players like Bennett and safety Kam Chancellor with the raises they’re seeking, it might mean losing another one of those “middle men,” perhaps someone like Brandon Mebane. So Seattle will have to tread carefully when it comes to renegotiating contracts.

Here’s more out of Seattle:

  • A source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Chancellor’s holdout could potentially go into the regular season if the two sides can’t reach a middle ground. As was the case with Dez Bryant‘s threat of missing regular season games, I’ll believe it when I see it. But Chancellor has made plenty of money over the last couple years, and has shown a willingness to give up money by missing camp.
  • Appearing on The Dan Patrick Show today, Wilson downplayed the notion that he had been looking to become the NFL’s highest-paid player, as Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk details. “No. The only thing that was important was being in Seattle,” Wilson said. “In terms of being paid, however I played, that’s what I wanted to dictate my pay raise.”
  • In the wake of the Wilson and Wagner extensions, former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a closer look at the Seahawks’ cap situation, writing that the team should be able to contend for the Super Bowl through at least the 2017 season.

West Notes: Wagner, Floyd, Chancellor

August 5th, 2015 at 7:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders, Chargers, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Los Angeles Sports Council are hosting a luncheon in downtown L.A. on August 17th, Vincent Bonsignore of the L.A. Daily News tweets. At the luncheon, Carmen Policy will give an update on the Chargers’ and Raiders’ combined effort to build an NFL stadium in L.A. (link). Here’s more from the West divisions..

  • Good news for the Cardinals. There was word earlier tonight that wide receiver Michael Floyd broke multiple fingers during practice today, an injury that would have left him sidelined for several weeks, including regular season games. As it turns out, those fingers are only dislocated, and Floyd will only miss 3-4 weeks, a team official tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • DeAndre Levy‘s contract extension with the Lions will likely be more relevant to Lavonte David‘s negotiations with the Buccaneers than Bobby Wagner‘s talks with the Seahawks, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets. Earlier today, the Lions and Levy reached agreement on a brand new four-year deal.
  • Seahawks GM John Schneider told SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter) that there’s no animosity between safety Kam Chancellor and the club. The GM has been in touch with Chancellor’s reps, but he can’t say if or when he’ll report to camp.

    • NFC Notes: Ginn, Kerrigan, Chancellor

    August 5th, 2015 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

    Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Panthers wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. admitted that he was “chasing a check” when he signed with the Cardinals last year, suggesting he took the highest offer he got in free agency for the benefit of his family (link via Tim Durr of the Black and Blue Review). Although Ginn signed a three-year deal with the Cards, his stint in Arizona didn’t last long — he was cut by the team in February.

    Here’s more from across the NFC:

    • ESPN.com’s John Keim and Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examine the specific details on Ryan Kerrigan‘s new contract with Washington, and Fitzgerald also provides a breakdown of the extension in chart form. The deal, which includes a $16MM signing bonus, features cap hits of $6.238MM in 2015 and $8.45MM in 2016 before jumping to $11.7MM+ for the final four years.
    • Since Kam Chancellor‘s holdout from Seahawks camp is now at six days, Seattle is allowed to recoup 15% of the safety’s signing bonus proration for 2015, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. Since Chancellor’s bonus counts for $1MM against the team’s cap this year, Seattle could recoup $150K.
    • Lions GM Martin Mayhew explained that the team’s depth at cornerback led to the trade that sent Mohammed Seisay to the Seahawks, a deal he called “win-win for everybody.” Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press has the quotes from Mayhew.
    • Packers defensive end Datone Jones told reporters, including Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link), that he did not appeal his one-game suspension. Jones was suspended last month after receiving a citation for marijuana possession.
    • Free agent cornerback Josh Victorian, who recently auditioned for the Texans, worked out for the Panthers following Chris Houston‘s retirement, tweets Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.

    Zach Links contributed to this post.

    West Notes: Raiders, Crabtree, McDaniel

    August 3rd, 2015 at 9:57pm CST by Zachary Links

    The Raiders believe Michael Crabtree is going to be playing himself into a big contract when the year is over, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes. Crabtree is having a tremendous camp and, so far, he has silenced questions about how he’ll perform after suffering lower-leg injuries earlier in his career. Here’s more out of the West divisions..

    • The Raiders have plenty of cap room to sign defensive lineman Tony McDaniel, Steve Corkran of RaiderBeat.com tweets. McDaniel, 30, can be had for a couple million or so this season and he could be a good fit for Oakland following his release from the Seahawks.
    • Britton Colquitt assured himself a sixth season as the Broncos‘ punter when he agreed to take a salary reduction on Monday. For his part, Colquitt isn’t “mad about it,” as Mike Klis of 9NEWS writes. “Demaryius Thomas had to be taken care of somehow,” said Colquitt. “Peyton Manning took a little hit (in March). I mean Peyton’s a good guy to follow, a good example. No, it’s one of those things where if the organization comes to you, and it’s a place I love and I want to be here and I want to help the team win, I think getting a little haircut is still a nice living for my family.”
    • While Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor continues his holdout, Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that Michael Bennett and his representatives are monitoring the situation very closely.

    West Notes: Von, Chancellor, McDaniel, Hawks

    August 2nd, 2015 at 2:56pm CST by Rory Parks

    After getting drug tested multiple times a week for two years, Broncos LB Von Miller has been released from the league’s substance abuse program, according to Mike Klis of 9News.com. The news comes at a great time for Miller, who is in the final year of his contract and who now has a long track record of clean drug tests to present to teams interested in his services.

    Let’s take a look at some more from the West divisions, including notes from Seattle:

    • Now that the Seahawks have extended both Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, head coach Pete Carroll says the club can turn its attention to bringing safety Kam Chancellor back in the fold (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). Chancellor, set to earn $4.55MM in 2015, is holding out while aiming for a new contract.
    • Former NFL receiver Tim Brown told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) that Seattle’s decision to release Tony McDaniel in order to fit in Wilson and Wagner’s contracts could lead to a locker room problem. While that may be true, I find it hard to believe that Seahawks players wouldn’t accept the club making the moves necessary to keep two of its stars.
    • McDaniel might not be gone for long, as Carroll tells Condotta (via Twitter) that the Seahawks would like to re-sign the veteran defensive tackle, obviously at a lower salary.
    • NFL agent Brett Tessler tweets that the Seahawks are bringing in Gabe Miller for a workout tomorrow. Miller played outside linebacker for Washington last season, but he will try out for Seattle as a tight end.
    • The Broncos will bring in former Kansas receiver Nigel King for an audition today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). King went undrafted earlier this year.

    Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

    Seahawks Notes: Wilson, Bennett, Chancellor, Thomas

    August 1st, 2015 at 11:00am CST by Ben Levine

    We learned some details of Russell Wilson‘s four-year, $87.6MM contract with the Seahawks yesterday, and CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora provides us with some more information on the extension.

    The quarterback’s cap hit for 2015 will be $6.9MM, followed by cap hits of $18.5MM (2016), $18.8MM (2017), $21.7MM (2018) and $23.2MM (2019). As the writer notes, these numbers are “very manageable” for the organization, as they can convert some of the base salary to bonus money.

    Wilson’s 2016 and 2017 salaries (as well as part of his 2018 salary) are guaranteed for injury, and the contract has the potential to be fully guaranteed later on. Therefore, the injury guarantee total of $61MM comes via $30MM in injury guaranties and $31MM in signing bonus money. $20MM of that bonus will be delivered in August, and Wilson will get the other $11MM in April.

    The first three years of Wilson’s contract totals around $56.6MM, trailing the deals recently signed by Cam Newton and Ben Roethlisberger. As the cap continues to rise and quarterbacks keep signing extensions, La Canfora opines that the two sides could be talking about a new contract in 28-36 months.

    Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes that the only guaranteed money in the entire contract is the signing bonus and Wilson’s $700K base salary for 2015.

    Let’s take a look at some more notes out of Seattle…

    • Defensive end Michael Bennett showed up to training camp despite not receiving a new contract. “I’m still upset about my contract situation but it’s one of those things where it is what it is,” Bennett said (via Tim Booth of the Associated Press). “I’ve got to be professional and come out here and be a leader that I’ve always been and get this team back to where we need to be.”
    • Meanwhile, coach Pete Carroll said he has been in contract with safety Kam Chancellor, who decided to hold out. “He has his points. He got his thoughts,” Carroll said. “He’s a very smart guy. He’s thought this out. He’s made a clear choice. We’ll see how it goes. I miss him.”
    • Following offseason surgery on his left shoulder, safety Earl Thomas has indeed been placed on the PUP list to start Seahawks training camp (via the Associated Press). Carroll preached patience as the All-Pro recovers, saying he doesn’t want Thomas to return until he’s “safe and secure.”

    Seahawks Notes: Wagner, Wilson, Chancellor

    July 31st, 2015 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

    The Seahawks made the biggest news of the day this morning when they reached an agreement with Russell Wilson, extending the quarterback’s contract through the 2019 season. Now that Wilson is locked up, linebacker Bobby Wagner is next up for an extension of his own, and head coach Pete Caroll said today that the team is “on it,” hinting it could be done soon, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

    For his part, Wagner sounds a little impatient to get a new deal finalized, admitting today that he considered not showing up for camp, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. When asked if he has a deadline for negotiations, Wagner replied, without elaborating, that his deadline is “now.” Following news of Wilson’s agreement this morning, Wagner also tweeted, somewhat ominously, “Can’t keep everyone.”

    While we wait to see if the Seahawks work something out with Wagner, let’s round up several more notes on Wilson’s extension and a couple other Seattle players….

    • Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) and Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (all Twitter links) provide several details on Wilson’s new deal. The base salaries on the contract are $700K (2015), $12.34 (2016), $12.6MM (2017), $15.5MM (2018), and $17MM (2019). The $31MM signing bonus and Wilson’s $700K salary for this season are the only fully guaranteed figures in the pact. Nearly $30MM in future salaries are guaranteed for injury only, and those salaries will become fully guaranteed on the fifth day after the start of the waiver period each year.
    • Agent Mark Rodgers had a flight scheduled out of Seattle this morning in the event that he and the Seahawks didn’t reach a compromise on Wilson, suggesting today’s deadline was very real, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rodgers acknowledged that there was a “fairly wide” gap that needed to be closed to get something done with the Seahawks, and said that getting the team to agree to a four-year extension instead of a five-year deal was one key (Twitter links via Pelissero and Condotta).
    • Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap takes a closer look at Wilson’s extension, comparing it to some other top quarterback deals. According to Fitzgerald, you could make a strong case that Wilson’s contract is the best in the NFL for a player.
    • Kam Chancellor, who didn’t report to camp today for the Seahawks, tweeted out a reference to a bible verse that includes the line, “the worker deserves his wages,” Condotta points out (via Twitter).
    • Chancellor is one of two notable Seahawks defenders unhappy with his multiyear contract. The other is defensive end Michael Bennett, who thought until the last minute about holding out as well, tweets Condotta. Bennett is prepared to play this season and won’t let his contract situation become a distraction, but he wants to keep talking to the team about a new deal, per Condotta (Twitter link).
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