The Seahawks are reportedly looking to trade Michael Bennett this offseason, and that makes sense given the talk we have heard about the team looking to get younger on defense. But could Seattle be motivated by other factors as well?
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network created a buzz on Tuesday when he reported that the Seahawks are almost certain to deal Bennett as they look to “quiet things down” heading into 2018.
“Production has been really no question here, but this is a team that’s trying to maybe quiet things down a little bit compared to over the last couple of years,” Rapoport said. “They’ve had some discussions with some teams. We know the Atlanta Falcons are a team that has a similar scheme to Seattle and maybe a head coach who can handle different sorts of dudes in Dan Quinn.”
What exactly did Rapoport mean by that? Many thought he was referring to Bennett’s outspokenness when it comes to social activism. The 32-year-old defensive lineman has taken part in national anthem protests and explained his reasoning behind that prior to last season. He also accused Las Vegas police of racial profiling and police brutality last year, prompting the department to launch an investigation.
On Wednesday, Rapoport insisted he was not referring to any of the aforementioned things as reasons for why the Seahawks are shopping Bennett.
My comment had literally nothing to do with activism or Michael Bennett’s impressive social platform. The #Seahawks have always supported that. https://t.co/cu8qv2NFef
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 7, 2018
It should be noted that Bennett is outspoken in general and was guilty of throwing a pretty egregious cheap shot late last season. Rapoport could have been referring more to that than the social activism, though he did not specify.
