Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Kam Chancellor was all smiles today at the announcement that he had signed a four-year contract extension with the Seattle Seahawks for $28 million. Chancellor was one of the great picks in the first draft for head coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider in 2010.
As a fifth-round selection Chancellor saw limited duty on defense his rookie season but used the opportunity to learn the tools of the trade from starting strong safety and seasoned veteran Lawyer Milloy. In 2011 as a first year starter, he found himself playing in the Pro Bowl. While he didn’t make the trip to Hawaii again this past season, he still had a solid year despite playing on two ankles that needed surgery after the season to remove a bone spur in each.
It’s one thing to play on a bum leg (or ankle in this case) but it’s quite another two play on two bad ones. At the press conference announcing the extension Chancellor refused to blame his ankles for a lack of production this past season when he said ”you’ll never play at 100 percent” as a player in the NFL. That’s just Chancellor being modest and refusing to blame anything on anyone but himself. That’s what winners do and that is what Chancellor is — a winner.
Chancellor is the first of the Seahawks draft picks selected by this new regime to sign an extension and definitely won’t be the last. Schneider said that signing Chancellor was their “number one” priority this offseason.
The recently-turned 25-year old is now locked up until his 30th birthday and is part of the great young core that has been assembled in Seattle. Carroll and Schneider intend to keep most of the core intact, too.
Bob is a Seattle Seahawks writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @seahawksbob.
