Report: Michael Bennett wants trade to Atlanta, new contract

Posted by Darin Gantt on March 17, 2015, 1:55 PM EDT
AP

Maybe there’s a reason Greg Hardy’s taking a trip to Seattle.

Apparently, one of their pass-rushers wants out, which would create an opening.

According to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Seahawks defensive end Bennett is seeking a trade to the Falcons, and wants a new contract.

Bennett signed a four-year, $28.5 million contract in Seattle a year ago, after winning a Super Bowl on his one-year prove-it deal with the Seahawks in 2013.

But he apparently sees the market changing for pass-rushers, and wants to get back in on it with a guy he knows well.

Falcons coach Dan Quinn knows Bennett well from his time as Seahawks defensive coordinator, and obviously understands the need.

The Falcons have already signed Adrian Clayborn and O’Brien Schoefield among others in their defensive makeover, but Bennett would be the biggest move of their offseason push to pressure quarterbacks.

Permalink 118 Comments Feed for comments Back to top

118 responses to “Report: Michael Bennett wants trade to Atlanta, new contract”

  4. it would be pretty unprecedented to change/extend a contract with 3 years remaining. Seems like unrealistic demands on Bennett’s part.

  15. I sit here and watch all the mevis, shevis, hevis type..money money money things….and simply amazed that 31 teams in this league for this SUCKER bet. You completely blow up any future your team has with crushing debt, in the hopes that a cast off from another team will solve all your problems….

  19. So he thinks that Atlanta is going to send a (presumably) high pick AND give him a raise over the average of $7 million he gets annually? Also, does Seattle have any incentive to trade him barring a blockbuster offer? Does he have a single compelling argument to offer the Seahawks other than “this is what I want?”

    Good luck with all that, Michael.

  21. Well, to bad for Bennett & the Falcons that that’s what signed contracts are for, lol. You can want in one hand, and shiii in the other, and see which one fills up first. That said, I wouldn’t mind shedding his salary, and adding Hardy in a 2 year cheaper prove it deal. Jordan Hill rushed great from the DT position late last season, and with Avril & Hardy coming off the edge, forget about it. Bennett warrants a 2nd round pick and the Falcons are picking high this year. Wouldn’t trade him for anything less draft pick wise

  25. Last year I thought we would sign Tate and let Bennett go.
    We should’ve kept Tate.

  29. and this is why fans side with management when it comes to contracts. you signed a new deal a year ago and now you want a new one? and spare me the they are not guaranteed b.s. we know that. but we also know their signing bonus is which is where they make their money. how much was is? I am sure it was more than enough to cover paltry 3-4 mil. he must suffer through being paid each year. if you wanted more then sign a 1 year deal otherwise shut up quit your whining and honor your word! the seahawks do not get to renegotiate if you are injured or have a bad year do they?

  32. I hope they say ‘Thanks, but no thanks’. If he just wanted to come to Atlanta I’d be kind of excited honestly, but he wants to come and get a raise? Take a pass please…

  33. Why? Maybe he loves Quinn so much, he’d want to play for him and Atlanta would pay him more. Or is it, because he’s done with Carroll for that play-call in the Super Bowl? Which one is it?

  38. For him to be so specific with the team he wants to play for it would seem the NFL will be investigating Atlanta again this offseason.

  39. Michael Bennett is an absolute beast. He has been a huge part of our defense for the past 2 years. While it upsets me to hear that he may want out, I will not rip him for seeking more money. I hope you stay in Seattle Michael, but if you leave, thank you for all that you gave to this team.

  40. Wow, if this is true then all my love for Bennett was based on a lie! What kind of idiot wants to be traded from a team with back-to-back SB appearances? Does he really think he will get a new contract even if he is traded? YA, RIGHT.

  41. Not going to happen.

    As long as owners have the option to cut a guy and not fulfill the contract, I have no problem with players wanting to re-negotiate.

  42. Hmm sign a new deal, after one season then start asking for a trade? If this is true then dude is a chump and shouldn’t have done the deal in the first place. Wow, I would lose a lot of respect for Bennett if this ends up being true.

  46. Bennett obviously understands how it works. Seattle is setting themselves up for a rebuild season after this year. Bennett wants to jump start his new gig because he knows Seattle’s contract with him is a 2 year deal, even though it is shown as 4. Players rarely ever see the last 2 years of their contracts.

    4 year deals are actually 2 year deals. 3 year deals are one year deals. 5 is a 3 and so on and so forth. If the last 2 years were played out on most contracts, teams would go broke. Lots of heavy money in the last couple years.

    Bennett doesn’t want to be there to watch it all fall apart.

  48. New contract? Does that mean the team that signs you can get a discount when your production drops off?

    _______________________________________

    not that I particularly agree with his stance, but, the team won’t ask for a discount per say.. they WILL ask you to restructure your contract, take a pay cut, or flat out release the player.

  49. I want a million dollars and Kate Upton’s phone number.

    Wanting builds character.

  51. I’m not surprised he wants a new contract. He signed his extension after the first Super Bowl year when he was only playing around 60% of the team’s snaps and was basically a pass rush specialist. This past year he played around 90% of the team’s snaps and was by far the team’s best d-lineman. He is probably worth closer to $10-12m a year. Seattle has given out extra money in the past to guys who were outperforming their current contract (Chris Clemons a few years ago and Marshawn Lynch this year) but not sure what they’ll do in this case. I suspect the “trade to Atlanta” might be because he wants a huge deal and knows Seattle is not going to realistically do more than give him $1-2m extra a year.

  52. @uglydingo I have to agree, I would imagine there is a lot of that going on considering that Quinn was here and now he wants to follow? I often wonder what the point of a contract is really other than to satisfy the salary cap rules. Like Chip Kelly said this year to year business. Regardless if he was traded I am sure he would have to forfeit his signing bonus. Either way though if he does go good luck getting to the playoffs again with that mess down there in Atlanta. Ugh man I wonder if Cricket has the same issues?

  54. Unfortunately players in this situation do have some pull. If they make it publicly known that they’d rather not be around, it kinda forces the teams hand a bit. If this is all true, Bennett comes off as an extremely petty and whiny little brat knowing that if he pouts enough, he’ll likely get his way because nobody wants that kind of distraction and cancer in their locker room.

    Hopefully it’s not true though…

  55. Ok, then fools like him should sign a year to year contract, yeah thought so that wont be too smart. No one forced him to sign that extension or contract last year. Keep this in mind NFL players, the new guy or hot new free agent will get more than you got.

  56. He wants to go to a team that doesn’t have a chance to make the Super Bowl because he doesn’t want to play the Patriots again, one Gronkowski haymaker is enough

  58. let me break this down.

    Rumor started by Clarence Hill. Cowboys beat writer. no substantiation from either Seattle media or Atlanta media. He just happens to include the two teams that also have a supposed visit with Hardy. the guy the Cowboys are trying to go all in on….

    yeah, I believe this to be pretty credible.

  61. He’s a really good player, but this request is ballsy as hell. If Atlanta wants to make a deal and give him a bump up in pay, send Trufant back home with a pick and get it done. Today. Go Hawks!

  62. niners816 says:Mar 17, 2015 2:13 PM

    For all the new Seattle fans, he is #72.

    I don’t know why you’re getting that many thumbs-down, that was hilarious. First time I’ve laughed out loud at a comment since the gems in the Manti T’eo imaginary girlfriend stories.

  65. Cadiz215 says:
    Mar 17, 2015 2:04 PM
    He’s pulling a T.O…..wants a new deal after justing doing one year
    ——-
    Yea I know right? Doesnt he know that only management can demand a change to a contract 1 year after signing it?

  66. this is complete Hardy inflation. Hardy is in Dallas and his agent is inflating the market for him. Bennett and Hardy have the same agent.

    Drew R is their agent. He is making it seem that Seattle now has an all in need for Hardy, WHILE he is in Dallas. now the Cowboys are going to over pay.

  68. Ok folks after further investigation both Greg Hardy and Michael Bennett have the same agent. Hardy is in Dallas now and is scheduled to visit Seattle. This is a plow to entice the Cowboys into signing so they don’t let him out of the building so to speak. The Seahawks have denied it and so have many insiders around the team.

  73. Dan Quinn? Why would you want to play for him. People have been blasting Pete carol and bevel for passing on the goal line (and Thay should) but this is the guy that put a linebacker on GRONK 1 on 1 with no help over the top for the pats easiest score of the game. Call me crazy but that call was even more dumb then Carols.

  78. Brady was moonwalking the entire SB to get away from him. Hope my Pats make a run for him. I’ll be astounded if he doesn’t get traded. It’s my observation that the Seahawks share the same mentality relative to players expressing their desire to leave; they usually grant you your wish.

  79. would make a demand SAS specific as this unless he knows it is possible. The ONLY way he could know that is via tampering. It doesn’t matter who initiated contact it still isn’t allowed. That is more blatant than the Jets owner talking about Revis

  80. The audacity. This would be like a team asking a guy for a paycut or cutting him before his contract had expired. That never happens.

  81. Clarence Hill loses 20 years of credibility by not checking out his sources. Good. I’m glad. Even profootballtalk doesn’t use the term ‘allege’ but rather simply makes the claim. They should be chastised too.

  87. He is trying his best to copy what Revis is doing, however the issue for Bennett is 1) Revis has established himself at one point as the best corner in football which has led to the Revis island and all, and 2) unfortunately for Bennett he happens to have a twin brother who looks just like him, and we all know how average his brother is, so in our minds your production is blahh or average at best nothing earth shattering.

  89. “it would be pretty unprecedented to change/extend a contract with 3 years remaining. Seems like unrealistic demands on Bennett’s part.”

    When you bow to Marshawn Lynch’s demands, why wouldn’t other guys want a bump in pay, too? You bring in an expensive TE from another team, you think the current guys don’t want a bigger piece of the salary cap pie?

  92. I wish I made 8M a year to play a sport for a championship contender. I’d like to see him come do what I do what we do everyday for what we get paid.

  95. “According to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Seahawks defensive end Bennett is seeking a trade to the Falcons, and wants a new contract.”
    ***********************
    Who’s Clarence Hill?

  96. Whoever signs him needs to put a clause in his new contract that addresses his persistent off-sides penalties issue.

  97. Ok, I know Michael Bennett is good, but he’s not nearly good enough to demand a trade to the team of his choice AND demand a new contract when his current contract was just signed last year!
    Come to think of it, I’m not sure ANY player is good enough to warrant all those demands!

  99. Norseman says:

    Sign up with the Vikings, we need another DE and just missed out on Michael Johnson.

    ———————————————————-

    Sure, why not? It’s obvious by the fact that he wants to be traded to Atlanta that Bennett doesn’t care about winning.

  102. This is Drew Rosenhaus trying to create a market for his player, Greg Hardy, by using one of his own players in Seattle. Why would Bennett want to leave Seattle that much. Sure his position coach is now head coach in ATL but he has no recourse. His contract still has 3 years left.

  103. everything is starting to crumble around the putrid sea dogs and all you part time so-called football fans can crawl back under your rocks and never come out

  104. Norseman says:

    Sign up with the Vikings, we need another DE and just missed out on Michael Johnson

    ===============================
    You don’t get it, Johnson used the Vikings as leverage. He wanted to play for a contending team so he had no intention of wasting his career with the Vikings. Missing out is a true statement, just missing out implies the Vikings even had a chance. Which they did not, for Johnson or a winning season.

  106. Huge Hawk fan and love having Bennett on the team, but I actually think paying a guy $7.125mil per year to be a rotational player that only gets 7-8 sacks per year is a bit much. Sign Hardy and trade him to Cleveland.

  107. For someone that looks like a goldfish you would think he wouldn’t jump offsides so much … I meen he can look strate ahead and still have one eye on the center at all times. He blew the only chance the Seahawks had to win that game…. A safety a good punt return and a feild goal could very easily have happened. Thank god Brady made him jump.

  109. Unlike some Hawks fans on here I can understand what Bennett’s saying.

    After all, it seems unfair that the Hawks have to play 19 games, not counting preseason, while the other teams play less.

    Bennett sees another year of 19 games and worries about his health.

  110. That contract was good for you a year ago, it’s good for you again. Man up, accept what you agreed to. Or quit and join the real world, where you don’t get to demand trades and renegotiate your pay.

  111. drunkwino says:
    Mar 17, 2015 2:53 PM

    I’d always trade a player that demands one…to the worst freaking franchise in the league.

    —
    Guess Bennett’s going to Green Bay

  112. Rumor is this rumor was created by Drew Rosenhaus to manipulate the market in favor of Greg Hardy and create the illusion that other teams are seeking him out like the Seahawks so he can milk Dallas for more money. The problem is that Seattle has no need for Hardy unless someone was trying to leave so Rosenhaus made this story up to turn Seattle into a player in the Hardy sweepstakes.

    It’s not real people and the Dallas sportswriter that gave this rumor any credence is only helping an agent that is trying to screw Dallas.

  114. Let’s see, the Hawks take a $6M dead money hit on Bennett’s signing bonus, lose out on the Super Bowl and get what exactly? Who writes this stuff?

    Pete Carroll, “Oh, sure, Michael! We will be happy to trade you to Atlanta so you can make more money. I am sure none of our other guys will mind. Especially, the ones we have to cut to get back under the salary cap.”

  115. I don’t believe this story. Someone deliberately stirred the pot. I know Clarence Hill is good at what he does. I think they used Clarence to put this out there. Maybe to strengthen negotiations between Dallas and Hardy.

  116. skawh says, Seattle’s entire defensive front is ready for a redo. If Bennett leaves, so what….7 sacks for $7 million per year can be had a lot cheaper. But Bennett was the only DL that showed up in the SB and he was relentless in the game. PC and JS got the team this far. After 40 years of not fielding a playoff competitive team Seattle fans couldn’t be more ecstatic.

    After all….did your team appear in back to back SB’s and nearly win it’s second?

  118. All the pro-owner fanboys here can bug off. If a player has an opportunity to get more $$, he has to take it. If going to a particular team is what he wants, he has to ask for that. NFL owners would rip up contracts with their own mothers if it meant more $$ for them. Why should players do anything different?

    This is a negotiating tactic. That’s it.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.