RENTON — The first practice of Seattle Seahawks training camp was already several minutes old, with the team going through stretching drills when Michael Bennett ambled onto the field at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
It may have been a slightly delayed arrival, but it was a vital arrival for the Seahawks none the less.
Seattle began its preparations for the 2016 NFL season Saturday morning, and the most important development for the Seahawks was the presence of their Pro Bowl defensive end.
There was speculation that Bennett, who led the team with 10 sacks last season and was a constant disruptive force in the opposition backfield, could choose to hold out from training camp because of dissatisfaction with his contract. The players reported Friday, and as of early Saturday morning there was still no word on whether Bennett was among that group.
But Bennett was present and accounted for Saturday — much to the pleasure of the Seahawks.
“He brought a bunch of juice today,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “He was in great spirits, he had a great attitude about it, he was just being the Michael Bennett that he is. Mike is a tremendous team player and he’s always been that. He’s a great factor on this club and that’s why we want him to be here, we want to figure out how to make him a Seahawk until he’s finished playing football.
“Of course (there was concern about Bennett reporting).” Carroll added. “There’s 90 guys here who could have stayed at home, so you’re always concerned about it. His is a little bit more out in the public.”
Last year Bennett said he considered holding out right up to the day before training camp. However, he said Saturday there were no thoughts about holding out this year.
“I just wanted to show up, be a great teammate, no distractions for the team,” Bennett said. “I just want to be a Seahawk for the rest of my life, that’s the most important thing.”
Bennett is entering the third year of a four-year, $28.5 million contract he signed with the Seahawks in 2014. Since then the market for defensive linemen has exploded. This offseason saw Philadelphia give Fletcher Cox a six-year, $102.6 million contract, while the New York Jets handed Muhammad Wilkerson a five-year, $86 million deal. According to Spotrac.com, Bennett’s average annual salary of $7.125 million is tied for 29th in the NFL among defensive linemen, and it’s nearly $12 million less per season than the highest-paid defensive lineman, Miami’s Ndamukong Suh.
Given the current market, Bennett believes he’s worth far more than he’s earning.
“I think I deserve to be paid in the position that I play,” Bennett said. “I play four positions for the team, I do whatever I can to help the team win. So hopefully everything works out and you get compensated for the way you play.”
The Seahawks have a policy of not renegotiating contracts until there’s only one year remaining. Bennett has two years remaining on his deal, but there’s a school of thought that Bennett could be the exception to the rule. However, Bennett wasn’t revealing whether negotiations are currently taking place.
“I’ve just been doing stuff in the community, I haven’t been worried about that,” Bennett said. “That’s just up to the coaches and my agent to take care of that. I don’t want to stir anything up in the media with, ‘He said, she said.’ Whatever happens, it will happen.”
The Seahawks went through a protracted holdout with a defensive star last year when strong safety Kam Chancellor held out all of training camp and the preseason. Chancellor also missed the first two games of the regular season before coming back without receiving financial concessions from the team.
With Bennett choosing not to hold out this year, the Seahawks not only were able to get camp started with full attendance, they aren’t having to deal with the pain of a key member of the team being absent.
“It’s really important,” Carroll said about having no holdouts. “I think there’s a real strong messaging in our locker room. These guys want to be a part of this thing, they don’t want to be the one who disrupts it, they don’t want to be part of that. We went through a real learning process last year with one of our great players and great competitors in Kam, and I think he’s helped people understand what that’s all about. He’s been a big inspiration to anybody who would think that way. I think it also shows that they trust that we’re going to work like crazy to get things done and help these guys in their specific situations.”
Extra points
The Seahawks officially placed tight end Jimmy Graham and running back Thomas Rawls on the physically-unable-to-perform list Saturday. Both Graham (knee) and Rawls (ankle) are still recovering from injuries that ended their 2015 seasons. They can be activated at any point during training camp or the preseason, and the Seahawks expect both to be ready by the Sept. 11 regular season opener. … Seattle has officially confirmed the retirement of defensive end Chris Clemons. Clemons, who played with the Seahawks from 2010-13, signed with the team as a free agent during the offseason. Clemons completed his career with 69 sacks in 162 games, including 38 during his four-year stint in Seattle. … Archbishop Murphy High School graduate Taniela Tupou spent Saturday playing as a defensive tackle, the position he played at the University of Washington. Tupou is listed on the roster as a fullback and spent most of offseason activities converting to the position. However, Carroll said Saturday he envisioned Tupou playing both sides of the ball.
For more on the Seattle sports scene, check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at www.heraldnet.com/tag/seattle-sidelines, or follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
