While Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett seems to enjoy himself everywhere, his contract situation was a point of contention for him at times. The 31-year-old defensive end has seriously out-played the four-year, $32 million deal he signed back in 2014.
Now, Seahawks general manager John Schneider is making it right.
Bennett signed a contract extension with the Seahawks on Friday, the team announced. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that it's a three-year extension worth $31.5 million with $17.5 million in guarantees. At the end of October, Rapoport noted Bennett was working on the deal with the team.
Outside of it being a smart business move, there is not much else to say. Bennett is one of the premier defensive ends in football and has been remarkably consistent since joining the Seahawks back in 2013. Since that fateful decision in free agency, Bennett has racked up 29.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles. The team is lucky Bennett did not hold out at the start of the season.
Sometimes NFL players get paid for what they've done in the past as opposed to what they will do in the future. Bennett doesn't show any signs of slowing down, but a $4 million base salary for his level of production is beyond value for the Seahawks. A perfect example of scheme fit, Bennett is one of the few linchpins in Seattle's front seven that cannot be replaced if they want to keep the Legion of Boom style rolling.
Some credit needs to be handed to Schneider as well. After his 2013 Super Bowl winning team hit free agency in waves, Schneider was able to massage the salary cap perfectly and not cave in to several demands from deserving players. When an executive has that much talent on a roster, the knee-jerk reaction is often to overpay for everyone and hamstring the club. That, or convince yourself you can find another set of players just like them.
Schneider didn't follow either of those paths and managed to ensure that the core of this team will be together for the foreseeable future.
