Seahawks' Michael Bennett: 'I've outplayed the contract that they gave me'
Michael Bennett is standing firm.
The Seattle Seahawks' defensive end wants a new contract, one that pays him top-eight money, and he's willing to wait until he gets it - even if that means missing the start of training camp, which begins July 25.
Bennett, who resides in East Honolulu, spoke to KHON2 TV in Hawaii:
Of course, I think I've outplayed the contract that they gave me. It's one of those things where you have to let your agent do the talking with the team and hopefully something good comes out of it. It never hurts to try.
Bennett signed a four-year, $28.5-million contract in 2014, so his change of heart has put he and the club in a difficult position. The 29-year-old missed voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) in protest, but showed up to mandatory minicamp last week.
It's always tough to leave Hawaii, so Bennett may stay, depending on how things shake out:
Hawaii’s weather is great, so I’ll just keep it at that. When the weather’s not as nice as it is here, it’s harder to make that decision, so it just keeps it in my mind like hopefully something great comes out of it, but I don’t mind staying home for a little while.
Bennett had a team-high seven sacks in 2014 - his second season in Seattle - and 26 tackles.
If he holds out in July, he'll be fined $30,000 a day.