Kam Chancellor, Cliff Avril likely retiring

Things are not going very well for the Seattle Seahawks. Not only did they miss the playoffs, but Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril could be retiring.

After making the NFC playoffs for five straight seasons, the Seattle Seahawks will have to view them at home on the couch for the first time since 2011. This is the first season that franchise quarterback Russell Wilson won’t be playing in a playoff game in January. It might also be the last time we see safety Kam Chancellor and defensive lineman Cliff Avril in an NFL uniform.

According to Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, Chancellor and Avril may have to retire from football due to injury. It’s their decision, but Carroll did say, “[Avril] and [Chancellor] are going to have a hard time playing football again.”

Both suffered season-ending neck injuries. Avril was limited to only four games in 2017, having succumbed to the injury in Week 4’s blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts. He won a Super Bowl with the 2013 Seahawks and made it to his lone Pro Bowl in 2016. Avril has split his 10-year NFL career between the Detroit Lions (2008-12) and Seattle (2013-present).

Chancellor has been a transformative safety for the Seahawks for years. His hard-hitting style has allowed them to play with eight men in the box on most snaps in the signature Cover 3 scheme of Carroll. Chancellor suffered his season-ending injury in Week 10 to the division rival Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football.

In eight seasons with the Seahawks, Chancellor was a four-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion in 2013. He was absolutely a cornerstone in the Seattle secondary that became known as the Legion of Boom along with cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas.

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Frankly, Seattle needs to do a bit of a reboot. The bulk of their defensive corps is at or approaching 30. They have a stud middle linebacker in Bobby Wagner. Expect he and Wilson to be the faces of the Seattle franchise while they hopefully rebuild in the next few years. If Avril and Chancellor do retire, it’s really an end of an era in Seahawks football.