Making 2019 even more important for the 49ers
There has been plenty of talk about the Seattle Seahawks and how they will look completely different in 2019. This afternoon, the team announced that they released two of the more prominent names on the roster in wide receiver Doug Baldwin and safety Kam Chancellor.
At the beginning of the 2017 season, these players were on the Seahawks:
Baldwin, Chancellor, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Frank Clark, Jimmy Graham, Paul Richardson, and Blair Walsh.
Now they’re all gone.
Baldwin is leaning toward retirement. A release allows him to keep his signing bonus and possibly future injury-protection money. Baldwin is pondering if he will return to football after he is recuperating from sports hernia surgery as well as knee, shoulder and groin injuries. Nobody knows but him, but the days of him lighting up the San Francisco 49ers are over.
As for the 31-year old Chancellor, he’s been sidelined due to a severe neck injury that he suffered two seasons ago. He has not been cleared by team doctors to participate in any football activities, and he is expected to miss the entire 2019 season. The last time he played was in 2017.
You’ll see many people petitioning to sign the two players—Chancellor was with Sherman yesterday, but there’s an obvious health risk. When you factor in the age, I will bet both retire.
Baldwin is a huge blow, as he’s been Russell Wilson’s go-to threat. For the 49ers, you’d think they would be able to take advantage of a younger Seahawks team in 2019. Will this mean even more pressure for John Lynch and company to perform? That’s something to keep an eye on.
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