Notes on Kam Chancellor’s return to Seahawks: Pete Carroll says status for Sunday is uncertain

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and Kam Chancellor spoke Wednesday about the strong safety's return from his holdout.

BY BRADY HENDERSON

Sep 23, 2015, 3:37 PM Updated: Sep 24, 2015, 4:02 pm

Pete Carroll said Kam Chancellor is in "magnificent" shape but doesn't know if the safety will play Sunday. (AP)

(AP)

RENTON – Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and Kam Chancellor spoke Wednesday about the strong safety’s return from his holdout.

Here is a video of the two addressing the media together and a video of Carroll talking about having Chancellor back.

Below are some of the key points:

Carroll’s opening comments. Carroll began by saying: “It’s been a long process getting him here, but we’re really thrilled that he’s here. He’s a big part of our program, he always has been, he’s a fantastic leader. He’s just [part] of the blood and guts of this program, and has been forever. We’re thrilled to have him back and we’re ready to go to work. We look forward to a really long time together of working well into the future. That’s what we’ve always thought of and that’s what we plan to do. It’s good to have the big fella back.”

Will Chancellor play Sunday? Chancellor said he has no doubt that he’s physically ready to play Sunday against Chicago despite having missed all of training camp, the preseason and Seattle’s first two regular-season games. Carroll hopes that is the case but he isn’t committing to that yet. “We’re going to take it one day at a time with the thought that we’d love to have him play,” Carroll said. He added that Chancellor is in “magnificent” shape, saying he weighs 226 pounds and is at 6 percent body fat. “He’s razor thin and sharp, as good as he could be right now. This is the best he looks. So he’s worked very hard for this,” Carroll said. “And we’ll see how it goes through the week, but I’ll let you know more tomorrow. Today’s the hardest day of the week. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.” If Chancellor isn’t ready to play, the Seahawks have a roster exemption that will allow him to practice with the team for up to two weeks while remaining on the Reserve/Did Not Report list. However, the Seahawks would need to add Chancellor to their active, 53-man roster — and therefore make a corresponding move — before he plays in a game.

Why now? Chancellor began by saying that he missed his teammates and coaches and that it was difficult to watch them work without him. He was asked why he decided to end his holdout now. Chancellor: “I think it was that time. I talked to a few guys, got some great words from people. I just feel like the time is now. I’ve always been a guy who follows my heart. Just watching my teammates and my team play, week to week, that first and second game, watching those losses hurt me, being the leader that I am. So I think the time is now to come back, put all business to the side and address that after the season, just get back to work.” Chancellor added that it was “very hard” watching Seattle’s first two games because he knew he could have made a difference.

Message to fans. Chancellor was asked what he’d tell fans who may have disagreed with his decision to hold out. His response: “People are going to make opinions when they don’t know your situation when they don’t know exactly what is going on. So I forgive those who understand what is going on and those who don’t understand what is going on. Because if God can forgive, I can also. So I’m looking forward to playing in front of the 12s and letting them roar.”

Carroll, Chancellor mum on details. Carroll made it clear that he wouldn’t not discuss the specifics of the contract dispute between Chancellor and the organization. Carroll declined to comment when asked whether the team would impose the optional fines against Chancellor and also when he was asked if the team did anything to entice him to return. Chancellor was asked whether he got any assurances from the team that it would address his contract after the season. He responded: “That’s something we’ll discuss.”