Not even brotherly love could persuade Michael Bennett to leave Seattle for the Chicago Bears. The Seahawks today announced they have signed the defensive end to a multi-year deal.
Bennett signed with the Hawks as an unrestricted free agent last March and led the team with 8.5 sacks, and 25 quarterback hits. He also forced a fumble and took a Drew Brees fumble back for a touchdown in Seattle’s regular season romp over the Saints.
CBSSports.com senior football writer Jason La Confora reports the contract appears to be 4 years at $28.5 million with $16 million guaranteed.
Appearing on NFL Network Monday morning, Michael received a strong argument from his brother Martellus to play in Chicago. ”The No. 1 thing is family, ” Martellus said. ”You’re going to get paid wherever you get paid. Two brothers-I don’t think there’s ever been two brothers that played on the same team.”
Shortly after Seattle won the Superbowl, Michael Bennett publicly stated he would like to stay with the Seahawks, but was not going to give them a “Costco” discount. He also said he was hesitant to play for a team with a losing record because he already experienced that in Tampa Bay.
The Seahawks made retaining the 28-year-old Bennett their number one off-season priority. The size of the contract appears to leave enough room to make a strong pitch to free-agent receiver Golden Tate.
Seattle must also decide whether to keep 32-year-old defensive end Chris Clemons, who counts $9.7 million towards the 2014 salary cap. Clemons recorded just 4.5 sacks last season as he battled his way back from a torn ACL.
Defensive lineman Tony McDaniel and Clinton McDonald are other players Seattle may want to re-sign in the coming days unless they can find better value in free-agency.
-Bill Swartz, 1090 The Fan
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
