Seattle Seahawks Sign Michael Bennett

Mandatory Credit: Matt Stamey-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t want him, so the Seattle Seahawks decided to give him a home. Defensive end Michael Bennett has agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract with the Seahawks which is significantly less than what the Buccaneers would have had to pay him if they had gone ahead and franchise tagged him.

As @profootballtalk said, Michael Bennett agrees to one-year, $5 million with Seahawks, per source.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 14, 2013

 

Bennett will make $5 million in Seattle. Compare that to what it would have cost the Bucs to franchise him this season – $10.9

— JennaLaineBucs (@JennaLaineBucs) March 14, 2013

As Jenna Laine from SportsXchange points out, Bennett would have cost the Bucs nearly $11 million had they placed the franchise tag on him, and while it seemed like a good move some Bucs fans hated the idea of watching Bennett leave without any effort from Tampa Bay. But the Buccaneers remained firm in their stance that Bennett was not worth $11 million next season and it turns out they were right.

What’s interesting is the fact that the Seattle Seahawks just signed a defensive end yesterday when they inked Cliff Avril to a long term deal. Obviously, signing Bennett is a talent grab since his contract is only one season, but it shows that the Seahawks are serious about stacking both sides of the ball with talent.