SEAHAWKS RUNNING BACK CHRIS CARSON RETIRING AT 27
Seattle Seahawks star running back Chris Carson is retiring from the NFL at the age of 27, the team announced on Tuesday.
The former Oklahoma State running back is retiring from the league due to a neck injury that he’s been battling for almost a year now, and both he and the team had some doubts about whether or not he would be able to continue. Carson suffered the injury in week 4 of the 2021 season in a Seahawks win against divisional rivals San Francisco 49ers at Levi Stadium.
Carson had re-signed on a two-year deal worth up to $14.625million before the start of last season following the end of his rookie contract. The team released him on Tuesday evening with a failed physical designation, which means that based on the post-lockout collective bargaining agreement signed by the league and the NFL Players Association in 2011, Carson receives injury protection and will recoup several million dollars from the team despite his retirement. Seattle has previously released players with a failed physical designation including former defensive end Cliff Avril, wide receiver Doug Baldwin, and safety Kam Chancellor.
“Ever since I saw Chris on film, I loved his style, and I was thrilled when we were able to get him when we did,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said in a statement on Tuesday. “To see him grow and become such an impacting part of our program with such a great style and all of that, it was a thrill to watch. We’ll miss him and everything he brought to our program.”
Seahawks general manager John Schneider said: “He’s been an incredible pro, a guy who brings an amazing energy about him. His running style is what we’ve always wanted here in Seattle. He’s the type of runner that the whole team feeds off of. The type of player defensive players get off the bench to watch him run – they can feel his energy. He’s the type of runner whose style affects the whole team. Not just the offense.”
“It’s a big disappointment. We took it as long as we possibly could with him. He saw a number of specialists, but unfortunately, he wasn’t able to pass our physical.” The Seahawks will now continue the rebuild of their roster after stability assurances were made earlier this month.
Carson did not make and does not intend to make a retirement statement, in the event that his neck dramatically improves and he gets a chance to sign somewhere else. The Mississippi-born running back played in just four games last season and had said last month that he was optimistic he’d be able to return at some point this season.
“Oh, we’re still going right now,” Carson said at the time. “I see myself playing until I feel like stopping. My mindset is never to give up. So, I’m staying positive like I said, and continue to fight and get back onto the field.”
The Seahawks are a run-first offense and will likely continue to be so even with the absence of Carson, and especially without star quarterback Russell Wilson. The team had been preparing for such an eventuality at the running back position, drafting former Michigan State running back and 2021 Doak Walker Award winner Kenneth Walker at no.41 in the 2022 NFL draft, and re-signing former first-round draft pick Rashaad Penny.
In five seasons with the Seahawks, Carson put up 3,502 total rushing yards, 804 total receiving yards, and had 31 total touchdowns; 24 of those rushing and 7 receiving. Carson was an incredibly underrated back in the end as he put up two 1,100-plus yard rushing campaigns in 2018 and 2019, but was ultimately overlooked for the Pro Bowl in both seasons.
Carson became the Seahawks’ first 1,000-yard rusher in 2018 since Marshawn Lynch four years earlier and the sixth player in franchise history to record consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 when he ran for 1,230 yards and seven touchdowns.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Jeffrey Beall. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.