On Friday, the Seahawks re-committed to their philosophy of balanced offense by re-signing running back Chris Carson to what was originally reported as a three-year, $24.625 million deal with voidable years.
The mechanics of the deal are a bit more team-friendly.
Chris Carson has $5.5 million guaranteed in year one and can earn up to $6.9 million in 2021, @casey_muir1 of @OctagonFootball confirms. The biggest free agent running back is off the board.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 19, 2021
Since he was drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL draft out of Oklahoma State, Carson has been almost a cult hero among both Seahawks Twitter — which is something of a legend in its own right — and fantasy football Twitter. Of course, back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons might also have something to do with that, which Carson posted in both 2018 and 2019. Back during that 2019 campaign, Carson ran for 1,230 yards on 278 carries, and also caught 37 passes for 266 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
There are some concerns with Carson going forward. First there is the injury history. Carson’s 2019 season was cut short with a hip fracture, and he also missed time this past year with a sprained foot. Then there are the fumble woes. This dates back to his time with Oklahoma State, where he was benched for losing the ball, and continues into his NFL days. Back in 2019 Carson fumbled seven times — including four lost fumbles — and was also inconsistent at the mesh point with quarterback Russell Wilson, which led to some fumbles that were charged to the quarterback.
Those two factors were going to play in any negotiation this offseason. But the opportunity to re-add a running back with a pair of 1,000-yard seasons is going to intrigue most front offices, and no front office more than Seattle’s.
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