The Seattle Seahawks are preparing for life without Kam Chancellor.
"He's not here and he's not playing," coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday of his star safety.
Praising backup Dion Bailey, Carroll was asked repeatedly about Chancellor possibly suiting up if he ended his holdout before Sunday's opener with the St. Louis Rams.
"He's not here right now, so he's not playing. That's it. Today's Wednesday," Carroll said again, acknowledging that he remains "very disappointed" with Chancellor's absence.
Amid "scant optimism" that Chancellor will end his holdout, the Seahawks have said all along that they won't redo the deal the Pro Bowler signed in 2013, per NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.
Bailey, meanwhile, has impressed coaches, leaving Carroll to say Wednesday: "In games, in his opportunities to hit guys, he is an all-out hitter. He knocks the heck out of guys when he gets his chance."
Carroll also revealed that Seattle wouldn't alter the game plan with Bailey filling in, and we believe him. Losing Chancellor doesn't help the league's top secondary, but no coaching staff has done a better job tutoring its flock of young and talented cover men.
Chancellor reached out to NFL Network's Dan Hellie on Wednesday to offer his opinion on the contract stalemate. Chancellor said he is willing to meet Seattle halfway and that the two sides are less than $1 million dollars apart. He said he's not looking for new money, but wants salary currently allocated for the 2017 season to be moved to 2016. Chancellor used the word "petty" in decribing the negotiations.
