Is a Michael Bennett extension brewing?

The agent for Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett will meet with team officials this week, presumably to talk about a new contract for the Pro Bowl defender.

Hold everything! Maybe Michael Bennett will get his new contract after all.

Just days after Bennett told the Huffington Post that “I’m just to the point where it’s kind of like, if you don’t think I’m valuable, then just get rid of me” comes news that Bennett’s agent Doug Hendrickson is scheduled to meet with Seahawks brass this week to discuss getting his client a raise.

Whether that means a restructuring of Bennett’s current contract, or a new one altogether, remains to be seen. Bennett signed a 4 year, $28.5 million dollar contract prior to the 2014 season, but has clearly outplayed it since then while watching other players at his position sign much more lucrative deals. Bennett’s current compensation ranks 20th in the NFL at his position, according to spotrac.com. 

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Seahawks general manager John Schneider, himself a recipient of a fresh new contract extension, has been adamant about not reworking major deals with more than a year remaining. But Hendrickson was Marshawn Lynch’s agent, and successfully negotiated new money for Lynch when he had two years left on his deal.

At the time, the team was able to placate Lynch by simply moving some money from the last year of his deal into the present. Would such an arrangement work in Bennett’s case?

Perhaps not. ESPN’s Josina Anderson posted this today about Bennett’s reported demands:

That would be a big jump from his current $7,125,000 average annual salary. Currently, Green Bay’s Mike Daniels sits 7th, averaging $10,250,000 per season.

Would the Seahawks be willing to break precedent and give Bennett the terms he’s seeking in order to keep their most disruptive defensive lineman happy? If so, what would the ripple effect be? Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas will have two years remaining after this season, will they be lining up at Schneider’s door next summer looking for a similar reward?

The difference here is that Bennett is 30 years of age, 2 years older than Sherman and 3 year Thomas’ senior. Would they understand that Bennett’s case is an exception?

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This will be a fascinating case to watch. Regardless, Bennett is on record as saying he’ll report to camp on time this Friday.

Will he have a new deal in place by then? This week’s meeting between the team and his agent makes it appear that may be more plausible than we have previously thought.