Report: Seahawks RB Chris Carson retiring due to neck injury

Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson is retiring due to a neck injury that ended his 2021 season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Carson, 27, played in only four games with the Seahawks last season before he was sidelined due to the injury. He eventually had surgery in November, but Seattle head coach Pete Carroll revealed last month that Carson still hadn't been cleared to return to the team.

Rapoport said Tuesday that Carson doesn't plan on officially announcing his retirement in the hope that his neck "dramatically improves," but the team will release the running back with a failed physical designation.

Last month, Carson said that he was still optimistic that he'd return to action.

"I see myself playing until I feel like stopping," Carson told Heavy's Jonathan Adams. "My mindset is never to give up. So, I'm staying positive like I said, and continue to fight and get back onto the field."

Carson was picked with the fifth-to-last pick in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft and played in four games as a rookie. In 2018, he started 14 games and finished the year with 1,151 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. A year later, he finished with 1,230 rushing yards and nine total touchdowns. He's the Seahawks' only 1,000-yard rusher since Marshawn Lynch left following the 2014 season.