Seahawks’ Michael Bennett sounds off on NFL quarterbacks
Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett had strong words regarding NFL quarterbacks
Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett has not been secretive about his belief that the four-year, $28.5 million contract extension that he signed last offseason leaves him vastly underpaid. While he ultimately elected to not hold out of training camp, there’s some definite friction regarding his salary. Much of that dissatisfaction could be a result of his distaste for how other positions are paid and treated in the NFL, specifically quarterbacks.
In an interview with Brock and Salk of 710 ESPN Seattle, Bennett sounded off on NFL quarterbacks for a number of reasons. First on his list was the issue of their salaries in relation to their performance.
Using Ryan Tannehill—who signed a six-year extension that will pay him $95 million with the Miami Dolphins—as an example, Bennett stated, “Quarterback is the only position in the NFL where you could be mediocre and get paid. At every other position, you can’t be mediocre.” Bennett continued on the subject, saying that Tannehill’s pay grade doesn’t match up to his success thus far in his career.
Bennett wasn’t just talking about contracts when it comes to quarterbacks, though. He also talked about the media coverage that quarterbacks receive and how ridiculous the Seahawks lineman perceives it to be. Bennett said that he saw that Brian Hoyer being named as the starter for the Houston Texans was being called breaking news, but Bennett’s reaction was “who cares?” He also defiantly said that it wasn’t breaking news at all.
This wasn’t the end of it all for Bennett, who then addressed more current events in talking about Sam Bradford and his reaction to being hit low by Terrell Suggs in a preseason game. Bennett said that the quarterback is “protected more than any other player” and said that when they’re hit in the knees, they are “about to cry.”
Bennett wasn’t having any of that, saying that every player in the NFL gets hit in the legs on almost every play, but because it’s a quarterback, hitting a QB in the legs warrants a flag and is going to act “like the world just ended.” Bennett punctuated that by saying, “I mean, you got hit in an NFL game. Who cares? Get back up and be like, ‘Good job.”
Bennett’s lambasting of NFL quarterbacks wasn’t unanimous; he dealt out praise to Tom Brady, Cam Newton, and Peyton Manning for their toughness and how they react to contact.
Whether or not you agree with Bennett’s views on quarterbacks getting hit in the NFL or his stance on the rules protecting them, he certainly makes some salient points regarding the treatment of quarterbacks in relation to other positions both on and off the field. Though there’s nothing that can fix those issues immediately, it’s at least something that’s possibly worth working to change and clearly worth discussing.
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