Kam Chancellor told Dan Hellie of NFL Network (Twitter links) that he has been willing to meet the Seahawks halfway and that the two sides are less than $1MM apart at this point. The safety added that he’s not looking for more money — rather, he simply wants money to be moved from 2017 to 2016.
At this time, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter links), the two sides aren’t close on a new deal, though that can change rather quickly. As has been the case for weeks now, the Seahawks are very concerned about setting a bad precedent by re-working Chancellor’s deal.
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.
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 quite as flattering a 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.
In tonight’s Community Tailgate, we asked PFR readers to weigh in on how they think things will play out between Seattle and Chancellor.