Seahawks RB Carson released with injury designation, reportedly to retire

Jul. 27—SEATTLE — The Seahawks released running back Chris Carson with a failed physical designation on Tuesday, and Carson will reportedly retire after five seasons in the NFL, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

The injury held Carson out of the final 13 games of the 2021 season and had a cervical-fusion procedure in December to battle the injury.

"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 Head 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."

NFL Network reported that the Seahawks will be releasing Carson with a failed physical designation. The designation, under collective bargaining agreements, "allows Carson to receive several million in injury protection benefits," Rapoport said in a tweet.

Carson, a 2017 seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma State, played in 41 of the possible 48 games from 2018-2020 after suffering a season-ending leg injury four games into his 2017 rookie season. His 3,502 rushing yards is the eighth-most in team history and has the sixth-most rushing touchdowns with 24.

The running back won the starting job in 2017, beating out free agent signing Eddie Lacy for the starting role. In a bounce-back year in 2018, Carson rushed for 1,151 yards and nine scores. In 2019, Carson again topped the 1,000-yard mark to make him the sixth player in franchise history with back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

It appears as if the Seahawks were prepared for a situation like this, bringing back running back Rashaad Penny on a one-year deal worth $5.75 million and drafting Michigan State running back Ken Walker III in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Penny, a first-round pick by Seattle in 2018, rushed for 749 yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 games played last season. From Week 14-18 of the season, Penny led the NFL in rushing with 671 yards and six scores over that span.

Walker III led the Big Ten in rushing yards last season with 1636 yards in 12 games played. The Wake Forest transfer saw the endzone 19 total times in 2021, including a five-touchdown performance over rival Michigan.