Seahawks facing crisis with Kam Chancellor, Michael Bennett
The Seattle Seahawks are hoping to go to their third consecutive Super Bowl and win a second championship during that stretch. However, the focus is currently on general manager John Schneider and the sticky financial situations going on with the Seahawks instead of the on-field progress.
On Wednesday, multiple reports surfaced that strong safety and Legion of Boom member Kam Chancellor is considering a holdout if he does not get a new long-term contract. Currently, Chancellor is on a four-year, $28 million deal that does not expire until after the 2017 season. Yet the former Virginia Tech star is angling for a new deal, something he saw Marshawn Lynch successfully do last year.
Chancellor wanting more money likely has something to do with seeing Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman get paid a mint in recent times. Thomas earned a four-year, $40 million extension that begins this year while Sherman inked a four-year, $56 million extension, also beginning in 2015.
Defensive end Michael Bennett is under the same deal as Chancellor, also becoming a free agent in 2017. Bennett is also weighing his options of holding out, something that can’t be going over well with the organization.
Schneider certainly has the power to tell Chancellor and Bennett some unprintable things, but runs the risk of the stars holding out into the regular season. In addition, Schneider is looking at inside linebacker Bobby Wagner and quarterback Russell Wilson enter the last year of their respective rookie deals. Schneider has been negotiating with both, but will soon be out of time with Wilson, with a deadline of the beginning of training camp put forth by the player.
Wilson is going to cost Seattle plenty on a long-term deal, likely well in excess of $20 million per season. Considering the mediocre Cam Newton was given $60 million in guarantees alone for his five-year pact, expect Wilson to cash in well beyond that.
As for Wagner, the former University of Nevada standout will come in at the top of the inside linebacker value chart. Wagner can both play the run and pass, and still has years left in his legs. Currently, the highest-paid inside linebacker is Brian Cushing at six years and $52 million with $21 million guaranteed. Donald Butler of the San Diego Chargers is next in line, locked up for seven years at $51.8 million with $11.15 million guaranteed.
It would not be outrageous to project Wagner at around five years and $43-45 million with $20 million in guarantees. If Wilson also comes in at around $22 million or so per season, that eats up approximately $31 million before even talking about Sherman, Thomas and Chancellor.
According to Over The Cap, Seattle has a good cap situation for 2016, checking in ninth cap-space wise with $38 million to spend. However, most of the major money in these contracts will start hitting the cap hard in 2017, when the Seahawks have only $55 million available, the eighth-worst figure in the NFL. It seems like a ton of cash, but the aforementioned deals will eat massively into that number along with rookie contracts and other free-agent deals along with way.
Schneider might need to make some tough decisions in the next 24 months. Wilson will get signed one way or the other, but perhaps Wagner can’t get paid in Seattle? If both get new deals, does Chancellor get moved if continues to be unhappy with the situation?
No matter what, there will be some sleepless nights for Schneider in the future.