Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett has reportedly agreed to a three-year contract extension with his team. Bennett has been with the Seahawks since 2013, but he was originally signed by the team as an un-drafted free agent in 2009. He voiced his frustration with his current contract last off-season. He backed up that frustration with solid play and grit. Even though a knee injury left him on the sideline for five weeks this season, he has been productive.
#Seahawks have agreed to three-year contract extension with Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Bennett, per source.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) December 30, 2016
Michael Bennett Receives Contract Extension With Seahawks
This is Bennett’s fourth season with the Seahawks. The 31-year-old one of the better defensive ends in football and is well deserving of the extension. Earlier this season, he suffered a knee injury against the Atlanta Falcons that required surgery. He was out for five weeks but he still has four sacks on the season. One of those sacks was during the Christmas Eve loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Bennett may not be in the news as often as his teammate Richard Sherman, but he plays a valuable role on one of the premier defenses in the league. He has now been selected to the pro bowl twice and the extension is well deserved.
Bennett has over year remaining on his current contract but general manager John Schneider decided to pay him now. Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, this is the first time the Seahawks have given a player an extension with this much time remaining on their contract.
Bennett’s new deal is for $31.5 million over three years. This includes $17.5 million in guarantees. He previously agreed to his current contract in 2014 and it was for four years and $28.5 million with $16 million in guarantees. The timing couldn’t have been any better. While it’s been in the works for weeks, the holiday season is coming to a close and this is a nice vote of confidence in Bennett’s ability before the Seahawks prepare for the playoffs.
