Seahawks release Doug Baldwin, Kam Chancellor after failed physicals

Of all the characters to make their way through Seattle in the past decade, none seemed to personify what head coach Pete Carroll was seeking more than Doug Baldwin and Kam Chancellor.

One on offense. One on defense. Both overlooked and underappreciated coming out of college. Both exhibiting exactly the type of determination and perseverance Carroll wanted.

Now, the two men who at one time played on consecutive NFC championship teams are saying goodbye to Seattle at the same time. Both players’ contracts were terminated Thursday after each failed a physical.

For Baldwin, a Stanford alum, it was another sign that he could be facing retirement. For Chancellor, it was an expected procedural step following the neck injury that ended his career in November 2017.

Baldwin had surgery in the offseason to repair shoulder and groin injuries and he also had a knee procedure, and was contemplating retirement. He is a two-time Pro Bowl selection who twice has topped 1,000 yards receiving. He led the NFL with 14 touchdown catches in 2015 and a year later had a career-high 94 catches. Baldwin started 76 of the past 77 games for the Seahawks dating to 2014.

Murray signs: The Cardinals signed No. 1 overall draft pick Kyler Murray to a four-year contract worth about $35 million with a team option for a fifth.

The deal announced Thursday includes a signing bonus of more than $23 million.

Jags’ Smith ‘stepping away’: Jacksonville linebacker Telvin Smith, the team’s leading tackler the past two seasons and a Pro Bowl selection in 2017, is stepping away from football. On Instagram, he said he said the decision was made to “give this time back to myself, my family & my health,” he said on Instagram. “... & get my world in order.”

He signed a four-year, $45 million...