Seahawks running back Chris Carson is calling it a career after suffering a serious neck injury last year, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday morning.
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Later in the day, the Seahawks officially released Carson with a failed injury designation. Per Rapoport, the Seahawks releasing Carson this way will allow him to “receive several million” dollars in injury protection benefits.
The veteran running back played in just four games a year ago because of a neck injury that eventually required cervical fusion surgery.
After missing three games last year, Carson was designated to return to practice. But the 27-year-old didn’t turn the corner as head coach Pete Carroll and the Seattle training staff hoped, and his season ended shortly thereafter. Carson’s status was a question mark from that point on, not knowing whether he would be able to play for Seattle or any team again.
The Seahawks selected Carson in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State, and he quickly climbed the depth chart, appearing in three games and making four starts as a rookie. Carson appeared in those games, rushing for 208 yards on 49 carries, but a serious ankle injury ended his season after those four games.
Carson returned in 2018 and assumed the starting role even though the Seahawks selected running back Rashaad Penny in the first round of that year’s draft. He rushed for 1,151 yards in 15 games, then followed that up with a 1,230-yard season in 2019, but his season ended in the Seahawks’ penultimate game due to a hip injury. As a result, he missed the season finale and both of Seattle’s playoff games.
Carson was the Seahawks’ leading rusher again in 2020, but his production and touches dipped in 12 games as he rushed for less than 700 yards. He missed four games that year with a foot injury.
In all, Carson has totaled 3,502 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns on 769 carries since being drafted. He also added 107 receptions for 804 yards and seven scores.
What an effort by Chris Carson! Touchdown #Seahawks! #SEAvsSF pic.twitter.com/SnAmQyyRr8
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 16, 2018
The Seahawks have Penny, second-round rookie Ken Walker III, Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas remaining on the roster in the running back room.
The Seahawks also released backup linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven with a failed physical designation. Burr-Kirven would return to Seattle’s injured reserve if he clears waivers. The Seahawks also placed four players on the physically disabled list: CB Tre Brown, LB Jon Rhattigan, OL Liam Ryan and LB Tyreke Smith.
Brown and Rhattigan are still recovering from knee injuries suffered last season.
Seattle Sports Reaction
When Rapoport’s report came out, Seattle Sports 710 AM’s Bump and Stacy were talking with Seattle Sports colleague Dave Wyman. Both Michael Bumpus and Wyman are former Seahawks players and current Hawks analysts, with Bumpus hosting pregame and postgame coverage while Wyman calls the games alongside Steve Raible. Rost has also served as the station’s Seahawks reporter for several years.
“It’s a shame man,” said Wyman, who noted his perspective as someone who played only three of his nine NFL seasons fully healthy. ”… It’s a shame when you have a guy that talented because, to me, Chris Carson in his prime is a top-five running back. It’s really a shame, but I think it’s an easy (decision) for him, right? You don’t want to mess around with your neck.”
Bumpus said the news didn’t surprise him because the neck injury was so serious, adding that retiring makes a lot of sense for Carson, who is only 27 years old.
“He can still do a bunch of other things, maybe get into coaching if that’s what he wants to do,” Bumpus said.
Bumpus agreed with Wyman that Carson in his prime has been a top running back. He also noted that Carson was a perfect fit for what Carroll wanted from Seahawks running backs.
“He brought the physicality that Pete Carroll wants his team to be today,” he said.
Rost explained how Carroll seemed to appreciate Carson’s style of play.
“I always saw Chris Carson as a Pete Carroll running back. And the way Carroll would talk about Chris Carson, you just get the feeling that that’s exactly the skill, the dedication, the physicality, the ‘want’ that Pete Carroll wants to see in players, especially running backs. I’ve always had that impression. All my time covering Carson, but also hearing Pete Carroll talk about Carson on a regular basis, it was always that this is a Pete Carroll running back. And fittingly, Chris Carson became the first running back since Marshawn Lynch to get the Seahawks 1,000 yards from a quarterback.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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