Michael Bennett is one of the top free agents this offseason, and it looks like he will test the market rather than re-sign with the Seattle Seahawks immediately.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Bennett, who had 8.5 sacks last season, will not re-sign with the Seahawks before March 11.
Bennett not re-signing with the Seahawks now does not mean he won’t end up back with them, but it means he will hear offers from other teams.
FOX NFL reporter Mike Garafolo says the Jaguars and Raiders are lurking as possibilities to sign Bennett. He also believes that because of all the talented players the Seahawks will have to eventually pay, they won’t be the team to sign Bennett to a big deal.
What has been clear is that Bennett will not be taking less to stay with Seattle. When asked about the possibility of giving the Seahawks a hometown discount, Bennett delivered one of the best quotes of the year.
“There is no such thing as discount,” Bennett said in February via the Seattle Times. “This is not Costco, this is not Walmart — this is real life. … You want to be compensated for the way that you perform and the kind of teammate you are.”
Bennett is obviously a very good player, but one concern I’d have with him is that he thrived in Seattle’s system, so you would have to use him similarly to the way Pete Carroll did in order to get the best results.
