As Suspected, Chris Carson Likely Finished in the NFL, But Seahawks Do Him Right

As expected, Chris Carson won’t be going to training camp with the Seattle Seahawks. Carson, who suffered an extensive neck injury in the fourth game last season, was waived today by the Seahawks because of a failed physical. This was reported by the NFL Network. Carson, who rushed for 3,502-yards and 24 touchdowns in his five seasons with the Seahawks, will get millions of dollars in injury compensation because of the failed physical designation. In other words, the Seattle Seahawks as they have done with other injured players like Cliff Avril and Kam Chancellor did right by Carson.

Also, Carson got his five seasons in, so he is fully vested in the NFL pension program for his retirement. Carson struggled in college at Oklahoma State after transferring from Butler County Community College. Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy had visited Carson back at his home in Georgia when recruiting the running back and Gundy hauled the Heisman Trophy won by Barry Sanders to show Carson on the visit.

Pat Kinnison - Chief Photographer

Carson rushed for 1,076-yards on 213 career carries and scored 13 touchdowns. Here is goes airborn in the 2016 Bedlam game.

Carson struggled on the field and was labeled by some as selfish, but in his final season at OSU after a thumb injury he turned around and became the ultimate team player and his performance improved dramatically. At the end of the 2016 season he was voted a captain by his teammates.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll called Gundy before the Seahawks pick in the seventh round of the NFL Draft and Gundy out to eat with his family took the call and told Carroll that he would regret it if he didn’t use the pick on Carson. He assured Carroll that Carson would play like a warrior for the Seahawks.

That is indeed what he did as he rushed for over 1,000-yards in two different seasons and he came back from a devastating leg injury to rush for 1,000-yards in a season. Carson was a primary contributor and the leading ground gainer during his tenure at Seattle.  

"We visited — it was about 10 days ago now — here and had a real good chance to hang out with him and feel him," Carroll said, according to ESPN. "He's concerned because he wants to play, and he loves the game, and he's a worker. He wants to work and push and all that, and there's some things that he was still a little but restrained to do, so he wasn't quite ready to do everything at that time.

"It's just hard on him. Our guys love this game that they grow up playing, and when they sense that there may be an end to it, it's hard,” Carroll continued. “It's difficult and it's real. We're going to love him through it and help him as much as possible if that's the case, like we do with everybody when it comes to the end of it. It's inevitable. It's coming. But it's always too soon. We're trying to fight that off, and he knows that. He's battling. He's doing everything he can, and he wants to compete all the way until the last word, and so he's going for it." 

That is why Carson won’t make the retirement announcement. He wants to hold out hope and continue to rehab the neck injury. It is good to see the Seahawks stand by him and do right by him.