Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard said Thursday that he was “encouraged” about the status of Kam Chancellor’s holdout despite the reality that Chancellor will not play Sunday in the team’s season opener against the St. Louis Rams.
Richard said he’s been in communication with Chancellor throughout the process and believes that both sides are working hard to get Chancellor to rejoin the team.
“We stay in contact and really we’re all encouraged by it,” Richard said. “We want him here. He wants to be here and right now both sides are working. Both sides are working. Everybody cares. Everybody wants the right thing. Everybody wants him here. He wants to be here. We want him here and right now, there will be a resolution and it will come down to it. Ultimately, we’re encouraged by it. He’s involved. He’s with us. He’s still here. He’s taken his stand and we’re just waiting to get him back.”
Chancellor called the Seahawks “petty” on Wednesday over the unresolved contract issue and said he felt “this deal could have been over with.”
Instead, Chancellor remains at home while the Seahawks will open the season in St. Louis without him on the field. Nevertheless, Richard doesn’t think Chancellor will miss a significant portion of the season.
“Yeah, I would be surprised,” Richard said. “It’s because we know how much this game, this team means to him. Right now he’s taking a stand where he’s taken it. There’s ultimate support on both sides. The closeness. The real relationships. Who we are. Who he is. That will not change.”
