The neck injury that ultimately ended the season of Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson will require a spinal fusion surgery, head coach Pete Carroll said on Monday.
Carroll said last week that Carson would not make it back to the team this season and would require surgery to address ongoing discomfort he had been experiencing in his neck since last appearing in a Week Four game against the San Francisco 49ers.
“It’s going to be a little bit before he does [the surgery],” Carroll said Monday. “From what I understand, he has a disc issue that needs to be fused, so that’s a surgery that can get him back somewhere late in the spring from what I have heard. We will see what happens with that.”
The Seahawks have had multiple players that saw their careers abruptly ended by neck injuries over the last decade, including safety Kam Chancellor, defensive end Cliff Avril and wide receiver Ricardo Lockette. However, Carroll said this injury doesn’t fall in that same category of injury.
“It’s going to be something that is very doable, and he will be able to return,” Carroll said.
Carson re-signed with Seattle on a two-year deal last offseason after reaching free agency. He’s posted two 1,000-yard seasons in his five years with the Seahawks.