Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett wants a new contract, only one year after signing his most recent deal. Teammate Cliff Avril fully supports Bennett’s effort to get paid.
“Me and Mike talk pretty often actually,” Avril told SiriusXM NFL Radio, via 247Sports.com. “We probably talk three, four times a week. As far as his mindset and another businessman in this league, I’ve been through the whole contract situation, so I don’t fault him from wanting a new deal from a standpoint of they cut you after a year if they feel you don’t play as well as that contract.
“If you feel like you outplayed the contract after a year, go for it. What’s the worst they can tell you? I don’t blame him for that. . . . Hopefully they figure something out, if not this year, hopefully he outplays it again next year and they make sure something happens next year.”
While it costs nothing to ask, it will cost plenty to take a stand. Bennett showed up for mandatory minicamp; it would have cost him more than $70,000 to skip the three-day session. If he doesn’t show up for training camp, it’ll cost him $30,000 per day.
Unless he’s willing to incur those costs, Bennett has no leverage. And the Seahawks surely have no inclination to set the precedent of ripping up a contract after only one of four total seasons.
Avril acknowledges that few players have any inclination to abandon the Seahawks.
“Everybody wants to be in Seattle,” Avril said. “Nobody wants to leave Seattle. Everybody wants to be there because we have something good going. But at the same time, I understand why guys feel like they may have outplayed a contract. In our league, the team’s the only one’s that’s not liable for the rest of the contract really. When they want to get rid of you, they get rid of you. As a player, whenever you feel like you should be trying to cash in, why not go for it? But I don’t think that affects anything chemistry-wise in our locker room or anything like that.”
As the Seahawks continue to succeed, that will continue to be an issue, because the guys who contributed to the success will continue to want to get paid.