Chris Carson Stays in Seattle With Three-Year Deal

Fri, Mar 19, 2021
By Jim Vassallo (Veri.bet Writer)

Among all the rumors about quarterback Russell Wilson being sought by other teams, the Seattle Seahawks re-signed running back Chris Carson to a three-year contract. Carson’s deal is worth $24.625 million. It can void down to two years for $14.625 million.

According to reports, the New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Carolina Panthers had all courted Carson before he decided to re-sign with the Seahawks for the next three years. By adding the voidable third year, the Seahawks are able to spread Carson’s signing bonus across three years instead of just two.

Carson, 26, missed four games in 2020, a trend that has been present throughout his career. Despite missing four games, Carson tallied 968 total yards from scrimmage and scored nine touchdowns.

Since Carson entered the NFL in 2017, Carson has missed 19 of a possible 64 games of the regular season. Wilson was a major player in Carson re-signing with the Seahawks, as he had worked hard to convince Carson that Seattle is where he should continue to play.

Carson had hoped to extend his contract with the Seahawks after a strong 2019 season that saw him rush for more than 1,100 yards for a second straight year. However, the Seahawks spent money on other positions in an effort to go all-in for the 2020 season.

“Of course, it’s something that’s on my mind,” Carson said before last season. “You see a lot of guys, they’re starting to get paid, but I try not to let it distract me from the season. I try to push it away.”

Carson was drafted in the seventh round in 2017. Since then, he has amassed 3,270 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground. Carson was only on the open market for a total of 48 hours before re-signing with the only team he’s ever suited up for in the NFL.

In his end-of-season press conference, head coach Pete Carroll said, “I do know Chris has got to — he’ll look out for himself. So he’s got to see what the situation is. We would love for him to be with us. He’s been a terrific part of our team, and hopefully, we can keep that going. In my mind, I can’t imagine anything else happening.”

Carson is the leader in the running back room that includes four other players after backup Carlos Hyde recently signed a free-agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Carson will be complimented in 2021 by Rashaad Penny, Travis Homer, DeeJay Dallas, and Alex Collins.

With five running backs under contract for the 2021 season, it looks as if the Seahawks are done adding players to that position for the time being. Penny would be the consensus choice to backup Carson but he has played only 27 of a possible 48 games since entering the league in 2018 as the 27th overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft.

“We have to run the ball better,’’ Carroll said in his season-ending interview. “Not even better, we have to run it more. We have to dictate what’s going on with the people that we’re playing, and that’s one of the ways to do that.”