Michael Bennett Talks Impact of Kam Chancellor's Absence on Seahawks

Kam Chancellor's holdout has extended into the second week of the regular season, and one of his Seattle Seahawks teammates went public with his take on the impact the safety's absence has had on the defending NFC champions.

According to ESPN.com's Sheil Kapadia, defensive end Michael Bennett broke down the optics of the situation following Seattle's 34-31 overtime loss to the St. Louis Rams in Week 1: 

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"We miss Kam Chancellor, not just the way that he plays, but the way that he approaches the game, his leadership," Bennett said, four days after a 34-31 overtime loss to the St. Louis Rams. "Even though Kam Chancellor wasn't in the game, we had multiple chances of winning that game. I wonder, would the conversation be the same if we won the game? Would people be saying, 'Hey, they don't need Kam Chancellor'? And so it's all about the wins and losses in this league."

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While the Seahawks had a shot to down the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome, the numbers from their season-opening loss didn't paint a pretty picture. 

Not only did head coach Pete Carroll's secondary surrender 276 yards and a touchdown through the air, but it graded out as the league's third-worst unit in pass coverage with a grade of minus-7.2, according to Pro Football Focus. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers logged lower figures during Week 1. 

However, Bennett explained that a victory this Sunday against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers could temporarily rewrite the narrative regarding Chancellor's holdout.    

"If we win on Sunday, people won't be talking about it," Bennett said, per Kapadia. "But at the end of the day, we all want Kam to come back. We all understand what his fight is. And we all want him to get his just due. And he is one of the best safeties to play the game, so I think we miss him. We just miss his love. He's our brother."

On Sept. 13, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Chancellor and the Seahawks were $900,000 apart when it came to the safety's revised 2016 salary, per NFL Media on Twitter. 

At present, the three-time Pro Bowler has three years remaining on his deal. According to Spotrac, Chancellor was slated to earn just under $4.3 million this season, $5.1 million next season and $6.8 million in 2017.

Another wrinkle emerged Thursday when Bennett noted that he contemplated a holdout with three years and $16 million in base salary remaining on his deal before ultimately scratching those plans. 

"At the end of the day, my situation's different than his," Bennett said, per Kapadia. "I've got three kids. I've got a wife. My wife wouldn't let me hold out, so I had to come to work. And his situation's different from mine. I respect what he's doing, but I know he respects what I'm doing, too."

After Nick Foles completed 66.7 percent of his passes last week, the Seahawks figure to have their hands full with Rodgers under the lights Sunday night. 

And since the Packers gunslinger hasn't tossed an interception at Lambeau Field since Week 13 of the 2012 season, per NFL on ESPN, there's a chance Seattle could lose some negotiating leverage if the league's reigning MVP puts on a prolific aerial showcase.