Noah Fant explains why Seattle is not in ‘rebuild’ mode after Russell Wilson trade
Seahawks’ TE Noah Fant joined Sports Seriously and told Mackenzie Salmon he doesn’t see this year as a ‘rebuild’ for Seattle after they traded away Russell Wilson.
USA TODAY
Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson is retiring from the NFL.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the 27-year-old is calling it a career after five seasons due to a neck injury that he sustained last season.
The Seahawks later on Tuesday released Carson with a failed physical designation.
“Ever since the first time I saw Chris on film, I loved his style, and I was thrilled when we were able to get him when we did,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday. “To see him grow and become such an impacting part of our program with such a great style and all of that, it was a thrill to watch. We’ll miss him and everything he brought to our program.”
Carson suffered a neck injury during Seattle’s Week 4 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 3, 2021, and was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 15, 2021. He underwent season-ending neck surgery in November.
Carson told USA TODAY Sports Seriously in late June that he was trying to be ready for Week 1: “I want to get right as close as possible to training camp as I can. My mindset is just saying healthy. That’s what I want to do. Throughout my career, I’ve been dealing with injuries, so I want to be injury free this year.”
That same month, Carroll said Carson was set to undergo “a big assessment” to determine his future with the team.
“We’re waiting for, there’s kind of a big assessment to be done about two weeks from now,” Carroll said during a news conference on June 9. “The docs and the surgeon, they’ll reconvene and see where he is and let us know.”
On Tuesday, Rapoport reported that Carson failed his physical. He will be released with a failed physical designation, per multiple reports, allowing him to qualify for millions of dollars in injury protection benefits.
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Carson was drafted out of Oklahoma State by the Seahawks in the seventh round with the 249th overall pick in 2017. In his five seasons with Seattle, Carson rushed over 3,500 yards on 796 carries and 24 touchdowns. He surpassed 1,300 rushing yards in 2018 and 2019.
In June, Carroll acknowledged that retirement may be a possibility for Carson.
“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. It’s difficult and it’s real,” Carroll said during a news conference. “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.”
