Benson Mayowa - Pro Football Rumors

Seahawks Release DE Benson Mayowa

March 16th, 2022 at 6:46pm CST by Ben Levine

The Seahawks’ roster makeover continues. Seattle is releasing defensive end Benson Mayowa, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).

After originally joining the Seahawks on a one-year deal in 2020, Mayowa inked a two-year, $7.6MM pact with the team last March. He was set to count $3.7MM against the cap in 2022, and he’ll leave behind $2.25MM in dead cap. The move will save the team $1.45MM and follows the Seahawks’ signing of Uchenna Nwosu earlier today.

Mayowa ended up seeing time in 28 games during his second stint in Seattle (the former undrafted free agent got his first NFL gig from the Seahawks). Over the past two years, the linebacker has collected 54 tackles, seven sacks, and 11 QB hits, although the majority of those numbers came in 2020.

Mayowa previously had stints with the Raiders (two stints), Cowboys, and Cardinals. He’s seen time in 115 career games, compiling 27 sacks.

Seahawks To Re-Sign DE Benson Mayowa

March 23rd, 2021 at 5:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Needing some help on the edge, the Seahawks will bring back Benson Mayowa. The veteran pass rusher agreed to re-sign with the team Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Mayowa signed with the Seahawks last year — for one year and $3.1MM — and started nine games. Mayowa contributed six sacks and now has 13 over his past two seasons. This stands to mark the first time Mayowa will have played with the same team in consecutive seasons since he was with the Cowboys from 2016-17.

The 29-year-old defender began his career with the Seahawks, playing a backup role on their 2013 Super Bowl-winning squad, and played two stints with the Raiders. Mayowa was also with the Cardinals in 2018. He will rejoin a Seahawks pass rush that houses 2019 first-round pick L.J. Collier, Jarran Reed and the recently re-signed Poona Ford. Both Carlos Dunlap and Bruce Irvin, fellow Seattle 2020 acquisitions, are in free agency.

Twenty-four of Mayowa’s 26 career sacks have come over the past five seasons. He has three six-plus-sack slates in that span. The Seahawks released Dunlap, in a cost-cutting move, earlier this month. The sides could well agree to a reunion at a reduced rate, but for now, Mayowa represents a key addition for the team.

Contract Details: Texans, Seahawks, Redskins

April 11th, 2020 at 9:15am CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted contract details from around the NFL:

Bradley Roby, CB (Texans): Three years, $36MM. Includes $19MM guaranteed. Base value of $31.5MM, with $4.5MM in annual playing time incentives. $3MM signing bonus, $3.5MM roster bonus (2020). Via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Vernon Hargreaves, CB (Texans): One year. Deal is worth $1.325MM, including $250K signing bonus, $825K base salary, up to $250K in per-game roster bonuses. Via Wilson on Twitter.
Benson Mayowa, DE (Seahawks): Signed. One-year, $3.05MM deal. Includes $1.5MM signing bonus, $1.05MM base salary (fully guaranteed). $2.55MM in total guarantees, $500K in per-game roster bonuses. Via ESPN’s Brady Henderson on Twitter.
Cody Latimer, WR (Redskins): Signed. One-year deal, $137.5K guaranteed signing bonus. Cap hit of $887.5K. Via ESPN’s John Keim on Twitter.

We also thought this would be a good opportunity to pass along a tidbit from ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter), who listed the largest dead-money cap charges in 2020:

Brandin Cooks: $20.8M (Rams)
Nick Foles: $18.75M (Jaguars)
Joe Flacco: $13.6M (Broncos)
Tom Brady: $13.5M (Patriots)
Todd Gurley: $11.75M (Rams)
Matt Kalil: $9.8M (Panthers)
Trai Turner: $9.592M (Panthers)
Stefon Diggs: $9M (Vikings)
Reshad Jones: $8.14M (Dolphins)
Eric Berry: $8M (Chiefs)

Seahawks To Sign DE Benson Mayowa

April 1st, 2020 at 6:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Benson Mayowa‘s first NFL work came in a two-game sample with the Super Bowl champion 2013 Seahawks. The seven-year veteran will have an opportunity to come back to Seattle.

Mayowa reached an agreement to rejoin the Seahawks on Wednesday, according to his agency (Twitter link). This deal includes $3MM-plus fully guaranteed, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, who adds it maxes out at over $4MM (Twitter link).

Mayowa stands to provide depth for Seattle on the edge. While this does not appear to impact the Seahawks’ pursuit of Jadeveon Clowney, Pelissero adds the team did not wish to keep waiting to add pieces up front (Twitter link). The Seahawks remain in on Clowney, but teams like the Titans and Jets have surfaced as potential suitors as of Wednesday.

Since 2014, Mayowa has played for the Raiders, Cowboys and Cardinals. In his second Raiders stint, a one-year stay in 2019, he recorded a career-high seven sacks despite playing just 270 snaps. That was three more than any Seahawk recorded last season. Mayowa, 28, has 20 career sacks and two seasons with at least six — last year with the Raiders and with the 2016 Cowboys.

This marks the second reunion for the Seahawks at this position. Last month, they agreed to terms with Bruce Irvin. Neither Irvin (8.5 sacks last season) nor Mayowa profile as a high-end edge rusher at this point, so the team may still be pursuing Clowney.

The Seahawks finished with just 28 sacks — 31st in the league — last season, so these additions stand to at least aid the group. Mayowa originally caught on with the Seahawks as a UDFA out of Idaho.

Raiders To Sign DE Benson Mayowa

April 12th, 2019 at 3:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Benson Mayowa is headed back to the Raiders. On Friday, Oakland agreed to sign the defensive end to a one-year deal that could be worth upwards of $3MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears.

Mayowa, 28 in August, tallied four sacks for the Cardinals last year. While the Arizona D sagged on the whole (and the offense, for that matter), Mayowa was a bright spot, making the most of his 550 snaps. Pro Football Focus ranked Mayowa as the 29th best edge defender in the NFL last year, putting him one spot ahead of star teammate Chandler Jones.

He registered a career-high six sacks for the Cowboys in 2016, but he regressed a bit the following year, and Dallas cut ties with him last March. He garnered plenty of interest on the open market before signing a one-year, $1.6MM pact with Arizona, and he now has a chance to potentially double that salary as a result of his strong showing in the desert.

Mayowa should see plenty of playing time with Oakland, who is still in need of players who can supply pressure from the edge. The Raiders are widely expected to select at least one edge rusher in this month’s draft, and they may do so with their No. 4 overall pick, but Mayowa will get his fair share of opportunities.

Cardinals Sign DE Benson Mayowa

April 23rd, 2018 at 11:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals have signed defensive end Benson Mayowa, according to a team press release. Mayowa has been on the market since early March when he was released by the Cowboys. It’s a one-year, $1.6MM deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).

Mayowa has five seasons under his belt after spending time with the Seahawks, Raiders, and Cowboys. Statistically, his best season came in 2016 when he notched six sacks with Dallas. Last year, he had just 31 tackles and one sack in 381 snaps.

The Cardinals are moving from a 3-4 look to a 4-3 under Steve Wilks and Al Holcomb, both of whom oversaw parts of the Panthers’ 4-3 scheme over the past several years. Mayowa has played as a 4-3 end throughout his NFL career and Arizona believes that he’ll be a strong fit for their front seven.

Arizona already has edge rushers Chandler Jones, Markus Golden, and Robert Nkemdiche in the mix, but Mayowa could be in for a sizable role if Jones and Golden spend the bulk of their time at outside linebacker.

Benson Mayowa To Visit Cardinals

April 12th, 2018 at 7:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

A part-time starter for the Cowboys over the past two seasons, Benson Mayowa will make a trip to Arizona to meet with the Cardinals, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The Cardinals met with UFA Connor Barwin this week as well and will explore a Mayowa free agency add as well. Mayowa has been a much-studied defender on this year’s market, having met with the Redskins, Colts and Titans last month. Meetings with the Jets and Seahawks were also reported to have taken place during free agency’s initial days.

Mayowa has played five seasons — with the Seahawks, Raiders and Cowboys — but won’t turn 27 until August. While three of those five slates have included just one sack, he enjoyed a strong six-sack showing with the 2016 Cowboys.

The Cards are moving from a 3-4 look to a 4-3 under Steve Wilks and Al Holcomb, both of whom oversaw parts of the Panthers’ 4-3 look over the past several years. Mayowa has played as a 4-3 end throughout his NFL career.

Benson Mayowa To Visit Colts

March 16th, 2018 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

Former Cowboys edge rusher Benson Mayowa is visiting with the Colts, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Mayowa has also reportedly drawn the interest of the Jets, Redskins, and Seahawks, but he remains unsigned more than one week after being informed of his released from the Cowboys.

Mayowa, 27 in August, had just 31 tackles and one sack in his 381 snaps for Dallas in 2017. However, he had six sacks in the previous season. The Cowboys initially signed Mayowa when he was a restricted free agent and regarded as a high-potential player out of Oakland. Although he didn’t do much last year, he’s still young and teams believe he has upside.

The Colts agreed to sign Denico Autry, another ex-Raider, to a three-year deal worth nearly $18MM on Wednesday. Autry is likely to start at one defensive end spot, opposite Jabaal Sheard. Johnathan Hankins and Al Woods, meanwhile, figure to start in between.

Three Teams To Meet With Benson Mayowa

March 12th, 2018 at 8:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins aren’t the only team on Benson Mayowa‘s docket. The Jets have the first meeting with the former Cowboys defensive end, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). After the Jets, Mayowa is then slated to take his visit with the Redskins. If Mayowa doesn’t sign with either club, the Seahawks and Colts are also expecting visits with him.

Mayowa had an up-and-down two-year tenure with the Cowboys, but he still has quite the market after him. When the Cowboys signed Mayowa in 2016, he was a hot restricted free agent property out of Oakland with interest around the league for his perceived potential. He largely excelled in his first season with Dallas, nothing six sacks. However, things tailed off last year as he had just one sack in 14 games.

There aren’t a ton of high-end pass rushers in free agency, particularly after the Lions opted to franchise tag Ezekiel Ansah. The Jets, who have two free agent pass rushers of their own to consider in Mike Pennel and Kony Ealy, could go hard after Mayowa given the dearth of other options available.

Benson Mayowa To Meet With Redskins

March 10th, 2018 at 5:43pm CST by Micah Powell

On Wednesday, the Cowboys cut defensive end Benson Mayowa after two seasons with the team. On Saturday, he scheduled his first meeting with a potential new squad in the Redskins, ESPN’s John Keim tweets.

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, per Keim’s sources. After signing with the Cowboys in 2016, Mayowa produced his finest season as a pro by recording six sacks in his first season with the team. That production tailed off in 2017, resulting in just one sack in 14 games. By releasing the fifth-year pass rusher, Dallas freed up $2.75 MM in cap room while leaving just $1 MM in dead money.

Should Mayowa find a home with Washington, it would follow a recent trend of Cowboys defensive linemen heading to the Redskins. After a career year in 2013, defensive tackle Jason Hatcher made the move and played just two seasons before calling it quits. In 2017, Terrell McClain joined the fold after making 15 starts the previous season in Dallas. He produced just two sacks in 12 games this past season.