Kam Chancellor essentially announces retirement due to neck injury

One of the most important players on the Seattle Seahawks and one of the best safeties in the league has unfortunately been forced to hang up the cleats. Kam Chancellor announced his retirement, or something close to it, on Sunday. It’s due to a neck injury he suffered during the 2017 season.

It’s “something close to it” because, as reported by Ian Rapoport, it’s not an official retirement but Chancellor will not be medically cleared going forward. This is important because it effectively means Chancellor is still due his $6.2 and $5.2 million salaries for 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Chancellor took to Twitter to give a lengthy announcement, saying that the final tests performed on his neck “showed no healing,” and suggested that the risk of paralysis — understandably — is too great to continue playing in the NFL.

His full statement is heartfelt and touching despite it bringing along such troubling news. Chancellor, for what it’s worth, spends a lot of time talking about the next chapter in his life in the statement.

An original member of the Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” secondary, Chancellor went from being a fifth-round pick in 2010 to pairing with guys like Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas in Super Bowl XLVIII, in which his team destroyed the Denver Broncos, 43-8.

Chancellor’s injury came in a tough Week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals. That was the same game in which Sherman tore his Achilles, and Chancellor’s injury went somewhat under-the-radar until he was ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Chancellor finishes his career with a Super Bowl ring, four Pro Bowl appearances and two second-team All-Pro appearances. His retirement isn’t technically official just yet, as noted by Tom Pelissero, who notes that Chancellor doesn’t believe he’d be cleared to play, hence the announcement on Sunday.