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Heading into this upcoming offseason, the Seattle Seahawks have plenty of questions surrounding several key members of their defense.
One of those concerns the long-term future of All-Pro safety Kam Chancellor, who is currently dealing with a neck injury that could threaten to end his NFL career. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Chancellor has made it clear that he intends on playing next season if he's medically cleared.
Answering one part of a looming question for the #Seahawks: S Kam Chancellor (neck) does intend to play in 2018 if he gets medically cleared, I'm told. No plans to retire (despite some murky social media posts). His $6.8M for 2018 was fully guaranteed on 2/9.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 13, 2018
The Seahawks have already taken a major step toward bringing Chancellor back after keeping him on the roster to allow his $6.9 million for the 2018 campaign to become fully guaranteed. The front office would not have gone this route if there was any real concern that the 29-year-old wouldn't receive medical clearance to play.
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Chancellor suffered his neck injury on Nov. 9 against the Arizona Cardinals and missed the remainder of the season. He continues to undergo several more tests to determine whether he can get back on the field. Prior to that, he had inked a three-year, $36 million extension that stipulated that his salary for 2018 was to become guaranteed this past Friday, which is the fifth day of the new season waiver period.
Despite all of that, there has yet to be any indication that Chancellor will be medically cleared to play. This decision should come over the next few weeks, which could be the case after the front office has chosen to take on his contract for next season. This makes it seem quite unlikely that they wouldn't make that decision without any possible peep that the four-time Pro Bowler will be able to play once again.
Chancellor has been an anchor in the secondary for the Seahawks throughout his first nine years in the league. He helped the team become arguably the best defensive units over the last few seasons. His return could help maintain much-needed stability on that side of the ball in Seattle.
