Pete Carroll hints at career-ending injury for Chris Carson

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll provided a concerning update regarding running back Chris Carson, who is recovering from neck surgery.

Chris Carson made an immediate impact for the Seattle Seahawks after he was drafted in the seventh-round in 2017. While there were the highs of him running for over 1,000 yards in two of his first three seasons, Carson has been bitten by the injury bug, with the latest being a neck injury that required surgery.

While speaking with the media in minicamp, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll provided an update on Carson, saying that he will be meeting with doctors in a couple of weeks. But, the words he used were rather bleak.

Pete Carroll provides bleak update on Chris Carson

“Our guys love this game that they grow up playing, and when they sense that there may be an end to it, it’s hard. It’s difficult, and it’s real,” Carroll said, h/t Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. “And we’re going to love him through it and help him as much as possible, if that’s the case, like we do with everybody when it comes to the end of it. It’s inevitable. It’s coming, but it’s always too soon, so we’re trying to fight that off.”

It is important to note that the aforementioned meeting with doctors, as Jude mentions in the article linked above, will determine how soon Carson could return, if possible. Seahawks fans will certainly be checking for updates throughout the process.

Carson had a strong first three years in the NFL, but the injuries began afterwards. In 2020, he missed four regular-season games due to a sprained knee. Then this past season, Carson played in just four games before being shut down due to the neck injury.

In his career, Carson has accumulated 3,502 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns on 769 carries in 49 games.

The Seahawks made moves at the running back position. They re-signed Rashaad Penny to a one-year contract, and selected Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III in the second-round of this year’s NFL Draft.

Carson’s status will be worth monitoring in the coming weeks.