The Seahawks and Kam Chancellor: How Special Was That?

Nov.25, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Seattle Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor (right) during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks, as you may know, signed Kam Chancellor to a well deserved extension Monday. The extension is yet another demonstration of how Seattle is an organization that players can be excited about joining. It also doesn’t just just throw money at their good players. Competition is great and becoming a starter the hard way is terrific, but it’s not every day that you get rewarded the way Kam was rewarded on Monday.

As a fan watching the press conference, it was hard not to smile while viewing a beaming Mr. Chancellor and realizing that the guys flanking him were just as happy, if not more so, about what was happening. Of course head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider were those on either side of Kam’s broad shoulders. As he sat there, Kam appeared to be living a dream that went beyond the NFL Draft. He was being recognized for his incredible contributions to a team that has evolved from a losing football team to one of the NFL’s best in just four seasons. He was so thrilled that he said there were “too many words to explain how I feel. Just feel good.”

Throw out all the numbers of the contract and forget that he’s on our football team. It was just a fun moment as a fan to see the enjoyment and appreciation of someone accomplishing such a high level of achievement in their life. The thing that was impressive to hear was a comment Schneider made about his young star in the conference’s closing moments. “Obviously, this is a big deal. A lot of this day is for Kam. Kam was a fifth round draft pick, he hasn’t been able to experience something like this. Hopefully he’s here for the rest of his career. So he’s taken away unrestricted free agency for himself, for this day. This is a very important deal.”

That’s awesome. Not everybody gets an extension like this and, even more, gets his own press conference for it. The organization wanted Kam Chancellor to be able to experience his own day in the spotlight as a person, more than just the enforcer behind the pads on Sundays. He wasn’t able to on draft weekend because of the lateness of his pick, so it was important to bring that feeling of recognized accomplishment into his life. That’s special.

I think that Carroll and Schneider will continue to let their special players have at least one special day, whether it be as a high draft pick or a guy who overcame obstacles to earn his payday. It says a lot about how “classy” the Seahawks organization is. We should be proud as the 12th Man to stand behind these guys as a team each and every Sunday, not to mention the individual players that now make up one of the best rosters in the NFL!

Go Hawks!