HEADLINES

Michael Bennett (Texas A&M)

49ers Interested In Michael Bennett?

March 7th, 2014 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The Seahawks and 49ers battled for NFC West supremacy during the regular season, then for the NFC title in the postseason, and now the fight between the two teams may extend to one of 2014’s top free agents. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there’s a belief in league circles that the 49ers could make a run at Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett this offseason.

Florio doesn’t cite any specific sources, and cautions that the Niners could be feigning interest in order to drive the price up for their division rivals. Bennett also may not be an ideal fit in San Francisco’s 3-4 scheme, though the PFT report suggests he could be a potential replacement for veteran end Justin Smith, who will turn 35 in September and may only have one season left with the team.

Whether or not the Niners make a serious play for Bennett, the free-agent-to-be is expected to draw significant interest when he hits the open market next week. The Seahawks also figure to receive competition from the Bears and perhaps the Raiders and Jaguars, among other clubs, as they try to re-sign their standout pass rusher.

Michael Bennett To Test Open Market

March 6th, 2014 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett won’t ink a new deal with Seattle before Tuesday, and will test the open market, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). After the Seahawks decided not to use their franchise tag on Bennett, he had appeared likely to reach unrestricted free agency.

After playing the 2013 season and winning the Super Bowl on a modest one-year deal worth about $5MM, Bennett figures to see a larger payday this time around. The former Buccaneer played a large part in the Seahawks’ strong pass rush last season, recording 8.5 sacks, forcing four fumbles, and recovering three more. He is viewed as one of the players available this offseason, and in fact ranks first overall on Pro Football Focus’ list of 2014’s top 75 free agents.

The Seahawks have made Bennett an offer, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), and there appears to be some mutual interest in a reunion. However, the 28-year-old wants to see what other potential suitors have to say. As Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports 1 tweets, the Jaguars and Raiders could be involved. The Bears are also expected to be in the mix, with Martellus Bennett attempting to recruit his brother to Chicago.

NFC West Notes: 49ers, Rams, Cardinals

March 3rd, 2014 at 5:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Michael Bennett took to SiriusXM NFL Radio and talked to hosts Bruce Murray and Rich Gannon about his future with Seahawks, writes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. The defensive end revealed that discussions “have been positive,” adding that the team wants him “to be a Seahawk for the rest of (his) career.”

While it certainly sounds like the Seahawks will bring back their defensive end, Bennett admitted that his brother, Martellus Bennett, is still trying to recruit him to come to the Bears. The Bears would have to “open up their wallet” for that to happen, Bennett said.

Let’s take a look at what else is happening around the NFC West…

  • The 49ers did not use their franchise tag on Monday, but could use it next season, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com says. Colin Kaepernick, Michael Crabtree and Aldon Smith are entering the final season of their contracts and could be tagged next offseason.
  • Considering the safety’s connection to St. Louis, Jairus Byrd could potentially be a target of the Rams, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. Byrd played high school football near St. Louis, and Wagoner believes the prospective free agent would be a great fit for the team. Still, the writer thinks it’s unlikely the Rams would dish out the kind of money that would be required for Byrd’s services.
  • Larry Fitzgerald acknowledged that the restructuring of his contract should allow the Cardinals to re-sign some key free agents, like Karlos Dansby and Patrick Peterson. One interesting name that the receiver also brought up was Frostee Rucker, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com writes. Fitzgerald said, “Some guys have gaudy numbers. I know his numbers weren’t crazy high. In terms of locker room guy, you can’t ask for a better teammate.”

Franchise Updates: Whitner, Houston, Byrd

March 3rd, 2014 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

With today’s franchise deadline now less than five hours away, let’s round up a few of the latest news items and rumors on the franchise tag from around the NFL….

  • The 49ers won’t be designating safety Donte Whitner as their franchise player, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter).
  • Raiders defensive end Lamarr Houston isn’t expected to receive the team’s franchise tag, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • The Bills have yet to express anything to Jairus Byrd about the franchise tag, and it appears unlikely that the club will use it, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Joe Buscaglia of WGR550 also hears that the Bills won’t franchise Byrd (Twitter link).
  • The Packers don’t look likely to use the franchise tag on their own defensive back, says Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette (via Twitter). A source tells Dougherty that the team has yet to mention the possibility to Sam Shields or his agent.

Earlier updates:

  • The Lions aren’t expected to use their franchise tag today, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Tight end Brandon Pettigrew likely would have been the top candidate to be franchised.
  • The Seahawks won’t use their franchise tag on defensive end Michael Bennett, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. We also heard over the weekend that the team doesn’t intend to tag kicker Steven Hauschka, but Seattle is still trying to reach deals with both players, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
  • The Titans won’t use their franchise tag on anyone this offseason, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. Cornerback Alterraun Verner appeared to be the most viable Tennessee candidate for the tag, but it appears the club will either reach a multiyear agreement with Verner or let him hit the open market.
  • Paul Soliai‘s agent says the Dolphins have told his client he won’t be franchised, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). We heard last week that Miami was unlikely to re-sign Soliai, so the team may turn its attention to bringing back its other key free agent defensive lineman, Randy Starks.

Seahawks Notes: Tate, Bennett, Salary Cap

March 1st, 2014 at 6:24pm CST by Peter Sowards

As the Seahawks said goodbye to receiver Sidney Rice and defensive lineman Red Bryant, they said hello to approximately $12.8MM in savings, freeing the defending Super Bowl champions to be active participants in upcoming free agency.

Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reached out to cap expert Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com, and Fitzgerald offered a plethora of knowledge, shining light on the possible plans of GM John Schneider in the coming months.

  • According to Fitzgerald, the team will have about $17.8MM in cap room. He predicts a safe spending level between $10-10.5MM after setting aside $1.5MM for rookie draft picks and a minimum $6MM cushion.
  • Fitzgerald views tight end Zach Miller and defensive end Chris Clemons as “too expensive” on their current deals, set to earn $7.5MM and $6MM in 2014, respectively.
  • With a cap number hovering around $76MM in 2015, Fitzgerald does not envision Seattle having any problems taking care of quarterback Russell Wilson, left tackle Russell Okung, cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas going forward. With the exception of Okung, who has two years left on his current deal, each player is eligible for free agency next offseason.
  • Free agent Golden Tate should not be that expensive to re-sign, says Fitzgerald, likening him to Eagles receiver Riley Cooper, who just received a five-year, $25MM contract with $10MM guaranteed.
  • Defensive lineman Michael Bennett, however, “is a trickier one” because he excelled at a premium position last season in a contract year. Fitzgerald doesn’t know if the Seahawks can retain Bennett’s services if the former Texas A&M Aggie goes for a $9-10MM/year contract.

Seahawks Release Red Bryant

February 28th, 2014 at 3:05pm CST by Rob DiRe

FEBRUARY 28: The Seahawks have officially released Bryant, the team announced today (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 23: The Seahawks are planning to release defensive lineman Red Bryant in order to free up cap space for unrestricted free agent Michael Bennett, reports Alex Marvez of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter).

According to OverTheCap.com, cutting Bryant would create $5.5MM in cap savings in 2014.

Bennett was a huge part of the Seahawks Super Bowl winning defense. He was set to hit free agency as one of the most prominent pass rushers available, after signing a one-year deal to play with the Seahawks last season. The team released Sidney Rice earlier this week in hopes to free up cap space as well.

Bennett has been expected to be re-signed by the Seahawks, and expressed interest in returning to the team on a long-term contract. At the same time, he indicated that he would not be giving the team a hometown discount, saying there is “no such thing as a discount” in the NFL.

General manager John Schneider has singled out Bennett as a priority this offseason.

Schneider On Tag, Bennett, DBs, Draft

February 20th, 2014 at 6:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Seahawks are unlikely to use the franchise tag on defensive end Michael Bennett, writes Todd Dybas of the News Tribune. Bennett, who was part of a formidable defensive line featuring Cliff Avril, Brandon Mebane, and Red Bryant, is a free agent after playing the 2013 season under a one-year, $4.8MM contract. Bennett has indicated he will not give the Super Bowl champions a discount in negotiations, which is understandable given his soft market after the 2012 season. That year, he finished with nine sacks and was rated the seventh-best 4-3 defensive end in football by Pro Football Focus, yet still was only able to garner the one-year deal with Seattle. Seahawks general manager John Schneider insisted Bennett will remain a priority. “He had a great season,” said Schneider. “Proved to be versatile. Is a great guy, a fun guy to be around. Hopefully we can get something worked out.”

A few more notes on the Seahawks, courtesy of Dybas’ piece:

  • The Seahawks not only won’t use the franchise tag on Bennett, but they probably will not utilize it all.
  • Schneider wouldn’t give any details on the status of coach Pete Carroll’s contract, which has one year remaining. Schneider, somewhat cryptically, stated Carroll is “doing great,” and refused to give any updates regarding tweaks in the head coach’s deal.
  • The Seahawks will try to keep the “Legion of Boom” intact, but extending both cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas might be tricky. “We have days ahead that are going to be hard because they are going to be tough decisions,” said Schneider. “If you want to be a championship-caliber football team, you have to make those tough decisions. You can’t keep everybody. It’s actually a sad thing.” We previously noted that Thomas is likely to be the higher priority of the two.
  • Regarding the draft, Schneider noted his aversion to need-based selections: “We’re not going to have this player, so we have to draft this position? I think that’s where you get in trouble. Any of the draft rooms I’ve ever been in, the biggest mistakes you make are when you [draft based on position scarcity].”
  • Seattle’s draft meetings began the Wednesday following their Super Bowl victory, with more work being required than usual due to the large amount of declaring underclassmen.

Michael Bennett Won’t Give Seahawks Discount

February 12th, 2014 at 3:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Golden Tate recently expressed a willingness to accept a hometown discount to return to the Seahawks for 2014 and beyond, but fellow free agent Michael Bennett doesn’t sound as enthused about that idea. Noting on the NFL Network on Tuesday night that “this isn’t Costco,” Bennett suggested that, in his opinion, there’s “no such thing” as a discount in the NFL (link via ESPN.com’s Terry Blount).

“There is no discount really because you go out there and you don’t give a discount on effort,” Bennett said. “You go out there and you give the best effort every day and you fight for your teammates, and you want to be compensated for the way that you perform and the kind of teammate you are.”

While Tate’s stance may endear him more to Seahawks fans, it’s hard to argue that Bennett should give up his own potential payday, particularly coming off a Super Bowl season in which he recorded 8.5 sacks to go along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The 28-year-old was a key piece of the Seahawks’ defensive line, spending time both in the middle and on the end, while playing on a one-year, $4.8MM deal.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier this month that the Seahawks were expected to re-sign Bennett, and ESPN.com’s John Clayton (video link) said today that the odds of the two sides reaching an agreement are still “pretty good.” But the Bears, who have Michael’s younger brother Martellus Bennett on their roster, are lurking as a potential bidder for the free-agent-to-be, and Clayton figures it’ll take at least a $6-7MM annual salary to lock up the elder Bennett.

In addition to attempting to re-sign 2014 free agents like Bennett and Tate, the Seahawks figure to explore long-term extensions for Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman this offseason. However, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there have been no talks yet between Sherman and the team about a new contract. Florio points out that Sherman and his agent likely plan to let the club sort out this year’s free agents before pushing for a long-term deal.

NFC Notes: Shields, Ware, Bennett, 49ers

February 5th, 2014 at 10:07pm CST by Rob DiRe

Among the Packers’ top priorities this offseason must be cornerback Sam Shields, writes Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Shields won’t be easy to retain — he’ll be among the best cornerbacks on the market this offseason, and Dougherty believes he could fetch a contract that pays him $8.5MM per season. With new deals coming for Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson, it may be difficult for Ted Thompson to navigate a deal for Shields and keep room open to fill out the roster. Here are some other notes from around the NFC:

Poll: Who Should The Seahawks’ Top Priority Be This Offseason?

February 3rd, 2014 at 9:32pm CST by David Kipke

Yesterday, we passed along a report that suggested the Seahawks’ top priority this offseason is extending All-Pro safety Earl Thomas. However, giving Thomas a new contract would likely affect the team’s ability to negotiate a new contract with cornerback Richard Sherman this offseason. Both Thomas and Sherman are eligible for free agency a year from now, and if the Seahawks want to extend both players this offseason, they would likely have to cut receiver Sidney Rice.

Additionally, the Seahawks must decide if they want to table negotiations with the aforementioned players in order to retain receiver Golden Tate and/or defensive end Michael Bennett, who are hitting free agency this offseason. While the club may be able to re-sign or extend multiple players, it likely won’t be able to fit all of them under the cap.

Who do you think the Seahawks should prioritize this offseason?

Load More Posts