RENTON, Wash.
Martin St. Louis Team Canada Jersey . -- Michael Bennett gambled last off-season that playing on a one-year deal in
Seattle would pay off in the future with the long-term contract he always
wanted. He was proven to be correct. Bennett now has a Super Bowl title and a
new four-year contract that will keep him with the Seahawks. "I dont know if
there was any doubt, but there was a lot of speculation a lot of teams tried to
get me to come there," Bennett said Monday after signing his new deal. "But
ultimately I wanted to come back and play with these guys and win some more
games." Bennett was considered one of the top free agents in the NFL after a
breakout season with the Seahawks where he led the team in sacks and proved a
versatile option as a defensive end and defensive tackle. But he never made it
all the way to the start of free agency Tuesday after the Seahawks came up with
a satisfactory deal. Terms were not announced by the team. Pro Football Talk
reported Bennetts deal was worth about $28.5 million with $16 guaranteed.
Bennett said there were other teams offering more money, but the guaranteed
amount was most important. Bennett was thought to have been strongly pursued by
Chicago, where he had a chance of joining his brother, Martellus, with the
Bears. But he ultimately decided to return to Seattle. "Yeah there was more, but
I wanted to be here man. There are a lot of young guys here, and there are a lot
of winning ways and I just love the organization and the things that they are
about. I love the staff, from the equipment staff to the medical staff; it just
goes on and on." Lost in the speculation about Bennetts future was his history
with Seattle and specifically defensive co-ordinator Dan Quinn. The Seahawks
signed Bennett as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M in 2009 and gave
him a spot on their roster for the start of that season when Quinn was his
defensive line coach. Even though he was eventually waived and claimed by Tampa
Bay, that initial relationship with Seattle remained strong. Its partly why
Bennett jumped at the chance to return last off-season with Quinn as the new
defensive co-ordinator, even if it meant playing on a one-year deal that paid
only $3 million in base salary. Its also a factor in why hes staying now. "At
the end of the day, it was about being comfortable and being in a good
situation," Bennett said. "Sometimes going to a whole other organization doesnt
work out the way it worked out for me coming here and being with these guys. A
lot of times people take a lot of money and they go to places and theyre not
what they turned out to be. I know what this place is. Im familiar with the
staff and players and it makes a big deal to be here." Seattle seemed to
understand what it would take to retain Bennett. The Seahawks parted with
defensive end Red Bryant and wide receiver Sidney Rice to create additional
salary cap space. Coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider have
been steadfast that their top priorities in free agency were retaining their own
players and not making big splashes by signing others. Bennett was at the top of
the list with wide receiver Golden Tate not far behind. Bennett had 8 1/2 sacks
in the regular season and a fumble return for a touchdown. His numbers would
have likely been higher had the Seahawks figured out earlier in the season how
best to utilize their defensive line rotation. Bennett had even more impact in
the playoffs. He had a forced fumble and recovery that gave Seattle an early
lead in the NFC divisional playoff win over New Orleans, and added one sack, a
forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the NFC championship game against San
Francisco. "We had hopes he would be a real contributor and he exceeded our
expectations and were excited to keep him," Carroll told SiriusXM NFL Radio on
Monday. "Hes got great energy, a terrific motor and hes a very versatile
football player. We really need to play him more. He didnt play a lot of plays
the first half of the season, we specialty played him, and then we played him
more as the year went on. We got better and he helped us. Were excited about
it."
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