During Monday’s media day interviews, Seahawks DL Michael Bennett told reporters that he “would love to stay in Seattle” beyond this season.
“I would love to stay in Seattle,” Bennett said, via the Seattle Times. “I love everything about the players, the coaches and the fans.”
Bennett, 28, was forced to sign a one-year contract worth $5 million with the Seahawks, despite coming off of a decent 2012 season for the Buccaneers in 2012. The floor seemed to fall out of the defensive end market last year, which led to a number of players accepting limited contracts including: Cliff Avril, John Abraham, Dwight Freeney, and Shaun Phillips.
“Every year is ‘prove-it’ contract in the NFL, because, unlike the NBA, our contracts aren’t guaranteed, so every year you have to prove yourself or you’ll be replaced,” Bennett said. “Every year you go out there with the same goal, to go out there and prove (yourself). That’s all you can do every year.”
Bennett did his best to increase his market value this year by tallying 8.5 sacks for the Seahawks defense. Pro Football Focus actually has had him rated as a top-10 4-3 defensive end for the past two years.
I would typically offer a projection as to what kind deal he could sign on the open market, but this year’s free agent class will also have a number of quality defensive ends available, so there figures to be a few winners and a number of players accepting limited contracts.
We have Bennett listed as the No. 8 player in our Top 50 Free Agents list.
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