The Powers That Be will (likely) break Sam Carver and Violet Mikami up in Chicago Fire season 14, as their story can’t continue if only one of them is around. Ahead of the season 13 finale, NBC announced that two major Chicago Fire characters are leaving the show — Carver, played by Jake Lockett, and Darren Ritter, played by Daniel Kyri. Their exits came as a shock, given that the series never hinted at their departures. Plus, the entirety of season 13 feels like it was building up to a reunion between Carver and Violet, adding to the confusion behind Carver’s exit.

The Chicago Fire season 12 finale ends with Carver and Violet’s split. They weren’t officially together because Violet didn’t want to give her heart to a first responder after losing Evan Hawkins. However, Carver fell in love with Violet, which he admitted to her during a fight. He then took a furlough, and upon his return, Violet was ready to open up to him. Their timing wasn’t right (again), though, as Carver had a new girlfriend. They still spent most of season 13 pinning for another one, but now, with Lockett’s escape, Carver and Violet won’t get a real chance in Chicago Fire.

7 Carver Goes Through With His Move To Denver & Violet Stays In Chicago

Carver Contemplated Transferring During The Chicago Fire Season 13 Finale

The most obvious way for Chicago Fire season 14 to end Carver and Violet’s love story would be for him to go through with his plan to transfer to the Denver Fire Department. After everything he went through in season 13, Carver felt like he needed a fresh start. He thought he could get that by moving out of Chicago. Unfortunately, that meant that Carver would also be leaving Violet behind, which is why he hesitated to leave during the season 13 finale.

Chicago Fire season 13 ends with Carver kissing Violet and telling her that he was in love with her. She said it back to him, and the episode concluded on a blissful note for the couple. Carver and Violet’s happy scene made many skeptical of Jake Lockett’s previously reported exit because it implied that the two had finally reunited after a season of a will-they/won’t-they slow burn. Season 14 can still reverse their romantic ending and reveal that Carver went to Denver after all.

6 Carver Moves Back To Texas

Jake Lockett’s Character Is From Texas

It’s entirely possible that Carver doesn’t even end up going to Denver in between Chicago Fire seasons 13 and 14. He could choose to go home to Texas instead. Despite all the painful history he has there, Carver might decide that he needs to confront his past on his road to sobriety. The only way he could do that was to return to Texas. While Carver is there, he could decide to stay, making his breakup with Violet and Chicago Fire exit permanently.

5 Violet & Carver Attempt A Long-Distance Relationship

They Could Follow Casey & Brett’s Lead

Given that Carver and Violet’s final scene in Chicago Fire season 13 was of them happy and in love, it would make sense for season 14 to begin with them still together. The premiere opening with Carver and Violet broken up will just feel too abrupt. So, the writers could take the Brett and Casey route from Chicago Fire season 10 by placing the couple in a long-distance relationship.

Carver would be able to go to Denver and still be with Violet, just like Casey did with Brett. However, we all know how that situation played out. Brett broke up with Casey at the beginning of season 11 because the distance was too hard for her. Perhaps Carver and Violet could handle it better. But the odds are against them. The good news is that Brett and Casey ultimately found their way back to one another and got married in Chicago Fire season 12. If Brett and Casey can be endgame despite Jesse Spencer’s exit, so can Carver and Violet.

4 Carver Transfers To A Different Firehouse In Chicago & Violet Stays At Firehouse 51

Being Close To Violet Could Be Too Much For Carver

Carver (and another character who shall not be named) partly attributed his alcoholism to being close to Violet almost every day in Chicago Fire season 13. Of course, he will never blame her. But Carver cares about Violet so much, and it was difficult to see her and not be with her. In spite of their finale kiss and love admission, Carver and Violet could choose not to pursue a relationship, given their baggage and his sobriety journey. Consequently, Carver decided to stay in Chicago but not at Firehouse 51.

3 Carver Quits Firefighting & Leaves Violet In Chicago

Carver Might Want Out Completely

As previously alluded to, Carver’s Chicago Fire season 13 story was rough. With everything he has been through, Jake Lockett’s character might decide that he wants to leave firefighting behind completely, resulting in his breakup with Violet. This theory might not be the strongest. However, the NBC procedural drama isn’t exactly known for its realism or consistency, meaning that anything could cause Carver and Violet’s romance to come to an end.

Carver could be one of the firefighters affected by the Chicago Fire Department’s budget cuts (just like how NBC booted Lockett from the Chicago Fire cast).

Fans also can’t forget about the auditor warning the Chicago Fire characters about looming layoffs and forced retirements in season 13, episode 20. Carver could be one of the firefighters affected by the Chicago Fire Department’s budget cuts (just like how NBC booted Lockett from the Chicago Fire cast). As a result, Carver is forced out of the CFD and has to look for work in other cities. Carver getting fired or quitting could prompt him to end his relationship with Violet, who will undoubtedly stay in the Windy City in season 14.

2 Violet Gets A Different Love Interest

Violet Could Meet Someone Else In Chicago Fire Season 14

It might be difficult to imagine, given how in love Violet seemingly is with Carver, but the One Chicago universe could end their romance by giving her a different love interest. The writers could distract the viewers from Carver’s disappointing exit with someone new and enticing. It’d be quite difficult for the Chicago Fire producers to pull a fast one on its fans, though, which makes this option tricky. They would have to introduce a character who has fantastic chemistry with Violet, is instantly charming, and whose presence makes sense for the show’s story.

1 Carver Dies

Chicago Fire Isn’t Afraid To Kill Off Main Characters

Based on the events of the Chicago Fire season 13 finale, Carver’s death would come out of left field. The episode didn’t conclude with Carver, or any character for that matter, in peril. It didn’t foreshadow or tease his death. And yet, Carver’s possible death isn’t out of the question. The problem is that Carver’s death would have to happen offscreen (because Lockett has exited the series), and that would be a complete disservice to his character.

The writers killing off another one of Violet’s love interests would also be cruel. So, while Carver dying in between seasons 13 and 14 would certainly put an end to his and Violet’s romance, his death is more unlikely than other possibilities. Whatever the case, fans will have to wait until the Chicago Fire season 14 premiere to learn Carver’s fate and how his and Violet’s love story ends.

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And no one could have carried that weight better than LaRoyce Hawkins, whose portrayal of Atwater is nothing short of masterful. With every scene, he brings a depth and vulnerability that makes you feel the pressure of Atwater’s world. In one particularly heartbreaking moment, Atwater says: “Being Black and being a cop—you think they cancel each other out, but sometimes it just feels like I got two targets on my back.” That line isn’t just good writing. It’s truth. And it hits like a punch to the chest.

The emotional fallout doesn’t stop there. In later episodes, Atwater faces betrayal from inside the force, especially from officers who once called him “brother.” He’s boxed out of investigations. He receives threats at home. He walks into rooms where the silence is louder than any gunfire. And yet—he doesn’t break. He doesn’t lash out. He doesn’t quit.

water’s character arc so powerful. He doesn’t become jaded. He doesn’t turn his back on justice. Instead, he becomes a better cop—not in spite of the challenges, but because of them. He demands accountability not just from the people he arrests, but from the system that gives him the power to arrest them. And in doing so, he becomes one of the show’s true moral centers.

But Chicago P.D. doesn’t let us forget how lonely that path is. Even within the Intelligence Unit—a close-knit group where loyalty is everything—Atwater often stands alone. Voight, despite his respect for Atwater, doesn’t always have the answers. The rest of the team supports him in words, but the silence in some episodes is deafening. That’s not a flaw in the writing—it’s a reflection of reality. Because standing up to systemic injustice often means standing alone.

One of the most gripping episodes later in the series shows Atwater being forced to protect a white supremacist suspect from street retaliation. It’s the ultimate test of his values. Protecting someone who would see him harmed. Upholding a system that doesn’t always uphold him. And yet, he does it. Because the law has to mean something—even when it fails you.

Viewers took to social media to praise the show’s courage in spotlighting Atwater’s struggle. Many Black viewers, in particular, voiced how much they saw themselves in his story—the duality, the exhaustion, the hope. And that’s the real achievement of the Atwater arc: it’s not just good television. It’s necessary television.

The writers deserve credit for not letting this storyline end in a neat bow. Racism doesn’t vanish in one episode. Justice isn’t restored by one brave cop. The trauma lingers. The wounds stay open. But so does the fight.

In a genre often dominated by action and fast-paced investigations, Kevin Atwater’s story gives Chicago P.D. its heart. He reminds us that the badge is heavy—not because of its weight, but because of what it represents. It can protect. It can oppress. And it can change—if enough people like Atwater refuse to look away.