Unrestricted free-agent defensive end Michael Bennett would like to stay with the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks but not at a discount rate.
Bennett, 28, anchored the Seattle defensive line last season, finishing the regular season with 8 1/2 sacks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery for a touchdown while playing end and tackle.
In the playoffs, he had six tackles, 1/2 sack and a fumble recovery in the win over the New Orleans Saints and a sack and a fumble return against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.
Now he wants to be pay accordingly.
“There is no such thing as discount,” Bennett told NFL Network. “This isn’t Costco. This isn’t Walmart. This is real life.”
An undrafted rookie in 2009, Bennett was released by the Seahawks and went to Tampa Bay, where he played for four years before signing a one-year, $4.8 million contract last spring to return to Seattle.
Because Bennett said he gave so much of himself last season, he expects to receive the benefits of his labor from the Seahawks or look elsewhere.
“There is no discount really because you go out there and you don’t give a discount on effort,” he said. “You go out there and you give the best effort every day and you fight for your teammates, and you want to be compensated for the way that you perform and the kind of teammate you are.”
The possibility exists for a franchise tag, which would boost Bennett’s annual salary to 12.6 million, but appears doubtful.
“It’s definitely a business,” Bennett said. “People hate to say it’s that, but it is what it is. I would love to play for the Seahawks, but they’re going to have to want me back and the numbers are going to have to be right.”
Bennett’s brother, Martellus, is the starting tight end for the Chicago Bears, prompting speculation that he could wind up in Chicago.