/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46994716/usa-today-8290815.0.jpg)
Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor's holdout hit its 20th day Wednesday, and as it's been all along, there's no end in sight. ESPN's Josina Anderson passed on comments from Kam's agent, Alvin Keels, who voiced resolve in their position (which, by the way, is Negotiations 101, but I'm passing this on nonetheless).
"Nothing has changed," said Keels. "He will not report without his contract being addressed this season. The team and I have been in contact, but we haven't been able to agree on any compromise."
So, the staring match continues. Who will blink first?
Right now, the Seahawks have the leverage. As Evan Hill pointed out here on Tuesday, Seattle can fine Chancellor $30,000 per day for every day of training camp he skips, and they can go after up to $250,000 worth of his $1M signing bonus proration.
Kam's fines, as they stand right now, could be as high as $800,000, and as soon as he starts missing regular season games, the Seahawks can start fining him game checks ($267,000+) and further recoups of his signing bonus up to another $250,000. Holding out during the season is going to be extremely expensive for Chancellor, and the Seahawks don't have any real incentive to trade him outright, as they hold his rights for the next three seasons.
However, Kam's leverage starts kicking in with the threat of legitimately missing games. Seattle does not want to play without Chancellor, obviously, so anything they can do to get him back to the field may have to be considered. Of course, as we've said all along, the Seahawks may fear setting a precedent with Kam more than the thought of playing without him or forcing him to become disgruntled. They simply have too much to lose if they give in, because if and when they do, the line outside John Schneider's door will form, and agents will seek better deals for their players one, two, or three years into long-term contracts. Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas come to mind, and Michael Bennett's already threatened this.
In the meantime, the two sides will sweat it out.