For much of the offseason, Seattle’s three-time Pro Bowl safety Kam Chancellor has been demanding a new contract. Just a week from Week 1 kickoff, it sounds as though two things are for certain:
- Kam Chancelor is serious about holding out, even if it goes into the regular season.
- The Seahawks believe he won’t cave, and thus are shopping him around.
Rumblings among NFL execs and agents about Kam Chancellor perhaps seeking a trade. He hasn't been granted permission to speak to other clubs
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) September 5, 2015
The Seahawks already traded a fifth-round pick to Kansas City for safety Kelcie McCray.
Seahawks' deal for S Kelcie McCray is a public sign of what they've told Kam Chancellor privately: They're not planning to negotiate.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 5, 2015
Every team in the NFL should be interested in a player of Chancellor’s skill set. He’s still just 27 years old. Despite being a former fifth-round pick, Chancellor has been selected to three Pro Bowls and two AP All-Pro teams. He’s not just a member of Seattle’s Legion of Boom secondary; at 6’3” and over 230 pounds, Chancellor defines that group of defensive backs.
He’s capable of scaring the daylights out of any wide receiver or tight end who dares go downfield (just ask Vernon Davis), but he’s also a former college cornerback who can cover. In fact, Chancellor was a high school quarterback, which means he’s a supreme athlete, and we all know how Chip Kelly feels about versatility. Chancellor may be more of an ‘in-the-box’ safety than a ‘cover’ safety, but still, he allowed just one touchdown pass and an 82.3 passer rating a year ago, per PFF.
Chancellor is entering the third year of a four-year, $28 million extension that conceivably keeps him in Seattle through 2017; he would likely want a fresh new deal (as did LeSean McCoy upon getting traded to Buffalo), probably at about $9-10 million with the first three-plus years fully guaranteed.
That’s a hit on the salary cap, but players of Chancellor’s talent aren’t easy to come around. Chancellor would be reunited with Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond, each of whom was a member of the 2013 Legion of Boom defense that won the Super Bowl.
The Eagles haven’t had a safety of Chancellor’s caliber since the days of Brian Dawkins and Quintin Mikell. Trading a first-round pick is no small task, but it’s worth it if Kelly believes Chancellor fits well with his culture and defensive scheme. Chancellor is a rare opportunity to instantly upgrade the secondary, and at the very least, Kelly needs to be contacting the Seahawks to see what Chancellor’s price is. And while it’s doubtful the Seahawks would part with Chancellor, they could use a first-round pick back given what they surrendered to get Jimmy Graham.
