Reducing Kam Chancellor’s Fines Could Cause More Players To Hold Out, Ask For Larger Contracts
Seattle Seahawks’ safety Kam Chancellor is now back with the team after holding out on his contract for the past eight weeks.
Chancellor missed all four of Seattle’s preseason games and both of the team’s first two regular season games, which they lost. In that time, Chancellor could not collect either of his paychecks for the games he missed that are worth $267,647 a piece, according to ESPN. The Seahawks’ star safety also racked up more than $2 million in fines during his absence.
But Chancellor may not have to pay the full amount, as Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo reported that the Seahawks told his agent that the franchise may reduce some of the fines.
The worry here is that if the Seahawks’ front office forgives Chancellor’s financial penalties, it could set a precedent around the league that could kill any possible deterrent that would prevent any player from holding out.
Without fines serving as a deterrent, players could also ask to restructure their contracts for better deal whenever market value for players changes, which could end up causing salary cap and budget issues for general managers and owners around the league.
Though the instance of a player, who believes he is getting paid less than his perceived value, holding out for a new contract is fairly common in today’s NFL, Chancellor’s situation is more unusual. With two years left on Chancellor’s rookie contract, the Seahawks signed him to a $28 million deal with $17 million guaranteed in 2013. Now, two years before his extension is up, he wants even more, after a few of his teammates, including fellow defensive backs Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman, were signed to bigger contracts.
Even though Chancellor’s demands may be warranting after starting for one of the NFL’s most feared defense, which has been featured in two consecutive Super Bowls, asking for more after a franchise has already proven its loyalty could lead a lot more players to do the same.
The purpose of the fines assessed to Chancellor are supposed to prevent more players who are already signed to generous contracts from wiggling out of them and missing games as a result. If Seattle gives in, one could expect to see more important players on successful teams to hold out even longer in order to get what they want.
