Seahawks extend John Schneider, is Michael Bennett next?

A few weeks back I wrote about the next three big extensions on the table for the Seattle Seahawks following the Doug Baldwin deal. That list included general manager John Schneider, head coach Pete Carroll and defensive end Michael Bennett.

You can scratch one off the list.

Last night team owner Paul Allen announced on Twitter that the team had agreed to an extension with Schneider, whom he called Seattle’s key architect:

Now Schneider is under contract with the Seahawks through the 2021 season. The deal is worth $3.75 million a year, which puts him close to Baltimore Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome as the league’s richest GM. Together with Carroll, Schneider’s teams have won 60 games over the last six years and played in multiple playoff games in five of them.

There was never any doubt that Schneider deserved to be paid among the league’s best. The roster he has constructed is a genius model, consisting of early draft picks like Earl Thomas, late-round sleepers like Richard Sherman and undrafted free agents like Jermaine Kearse.

Keeping the core of Seattle’s championship contender is the single most impressive feat any executive has accomplished in the NFL over the last few years.

As long as Schneider and Carroll stay in place the Seahawks should remain a contender.

Now that Seattle’s grand architect is locked up for the long run, what’s the first order of business? Placating a disgruntled defensive superstar.

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Last week Michael Bennett made some waves when he told the Huffington Post that his contract frustrations are ongoing. He even sent a stern message to the Seahawks front office:

Bennett is under contract through the end of the 2017 season. In the mean time, he’s arguably the league’s best bargain for a defensive lineman. For this year he will earn just $4 million in base salary, which is remarkably low considering the recent $17 million a year deals for Fletcher Cox and Olivier Vernon. Having outplayed both of them the last few years, you can understand why Bennett might be frustrated.

Relief may be coming soon, though.

According to a report by Josina Anderson at ESPN, Bennett’s agent will be meeting with Seahawks brass next week about his desire for a new deal:

Eventually Seattle will have to give Bennett his fair share. For now, the numbers make it complicated. Figures available at Over the Cap show Seattle has just $7.92 million in cap space still available for 2016. Next year that number balloons to $22.93 million.

On the open market, Bennett would easily command $17.5 million annually, perhaps even more. As long as the Seahawks are his only negotiating partner he’s not likely to earn that much.

Look for an extension to come sometime during the season in the $13-$16 million a year range. For all his talk about contract dissatisfaction, Bennett seems remarkably loyal to Seattle and wants to be a part of what he knows is a special dynamic for years to come. A hometown discount for the guy that’s becoming their top defensive star would guarantee several more years of a Super Bowl window for these Seahawks.

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