Seahawks DE Michael Bennett Wants A Raise, Not Looking To Be Traded

A few months ago, a report surfaced that Seahawks DE Michael Bennett was seeking a trade to the Falcons and a new contract.

Reports later refuted that Bennett had requested a trade and the topic seemed to die down until earlier this week when Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported that Bennett and his agent have “made it clear he’d rather not be back in Seattle.”

Bennett addressed the situation on Thursday in an interview with Seattle’s King 5 TV.

“I think everyone who has a job, they want a raise for whatever they’re doing,” Bennett said of his contract situation, via Terry Blount of ESPN.com. “I’m just like any other American. I think everybody wants to be paid a little bit more. So I don’t think I fall short of that.

“People assume when you ask for a little more money, they assume that you want to be traded or something like that,” Bennett continued. “But that’s not what I’m trying to go for.”

This is a tough time to be looking for a raise in Seattle given that QB Russell Wilson and ILB Bobby Wagner are both in line for massive contract extensions.

Bennett, 29, signed four-year, $32 million contract that included $16 million guaranteed with the Seahawks in March of last year. He still has another three years remaining on the agreement to go along with base salaries of $6 million (2015), $4 million (2016), and $6 million (2017).

For what it’s worth, trading Bennett would free up $2 million in cap space next year while also create $6 million in dead money, according to OverTheCap.com,

In 2014, Bennett appeared in all 16 games and recorded 39 tackles, seven sacks, and a forced fumble. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 2 defensive end in a 4-3 defense out of 59 qualifying players.