Poll: Do you think Seattle retains Michael Bennett?

NT

I voted yes, but I think at least 25% of that is wishful thinking rather than real-world expectation, so...I guess put an asterisk next to one of those yes votes.

Hope he stays a hawk but I'm not optimistic. I bet someone else offers him more than the hawks are willing to spend

I want to say yes, but chances are another team will be willing to pay him more that we would. So no.

Nope.
Dude is going to get crazy money from some other team.
He was one piece of a great defense.
Thanks for your help bringing the championship to Seattle Mike...Enjoy all your money, you earned it.
The team is always bigger than any one player.
Go Hawks!

I think he signs elsewhere, most likely Chicago, who seems to like to overpay the DL, especially if they don't bring back Melton and cut Peppers.

The other option is Oakland, which is a nice place to make a lot of money and play in great weather. It worked out great for Seymour and Sapp.

I love MB but I think he's going to talk himself in to a great paycheck, and talk himself in to believing that the team that pays him a lot is "a contender." Money, like beer goggles, makes everything look better.

RolandDeschain":18653sgc said:

I voted yes, but I think at least 25% of that is wishful thinking rather than real-world expectation, so...I guess put an asterisk next to one of those yes votes.

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This about covers it for me too. I so badly want as many of the guys from this past season's team back it colors my opinion/outlook. With aging comes being more sentimental it would seem.

He'll get overplayed by a bad organization maybe even something like ten million, we're best not to match and work on Tate and other free agents

Wartooth":zmr3bbhj said:

The team is always bigger than any one player.

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Unless you're talking about Russell Wilson.

He has made it pretty clear that high dollar wins. I don't think we can go that route with out risking our dynamic. It was evident this season that this team believes that any man on the roster can be replaced and No man is bigger than the team. Every one is an oppertunitiy away from stardome. So while I'd like to re sign Bennett I don't think it will happen. Instead it will become some one else's oppurtunity to step up.

My heart says yes, but my brain says maybe.

Frustrating thing, is that words like "loyalty", "gratitude", "familiarity", or "camaraderie" do not apply.

Bennett's no fool. And neither is his manager. This will likely be his last big contract opportunity and his stock has never been higher. He is right to cash in while he can. He got his ring, and he knows the ramifications of leaving the premier organization in the game right now. The tough decisions are not all the FO's to make.

brimsalabim":1ztbyhmn said:

He has made it pretty clear that high dollar wins. I don't think we can go that route with out risking our dynamic. It was evident this season that this team believes that any man on the roster can be replaced and No man is bigger than the team. Every one is an oppertunitiy away from stardome. So while I'd like to re sign Bennett I don't think it will happen. Instead it will become some one else's oppurtunity to step up.

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Bennett has said three things about free agency. One, that he'd love to stay in Seattle. Two, that he's not giving any discounts. Three, that talks between him and the Seahawks have been positive.

I don't think that is a clear case of "high dollar wins." Bennett is doing what any sought-after FA should do - he's finding out what his market is. That doesn't mean he WANTS to leave Seattle, nor does it mean that any higher offer he receives from some other team is going to be the one he takes. He is, however, making sure he's got all the necessary information to make his decision. There's absolutely nothing wrong in that approach. I'm hopeful that he'll give Seattle an opportunity to modify their offer if he finds something significantly better on the market, and given his statement that he'd like to stay, I think he will. Whether the Seahawks match any other offer or not is up to them. I think they have a figure they won't go over when it comes to Bennett, but I'm also pretty confident that they didn't put that figure out there in their initial offer to him this past week.

Yes

Nope, unfortunately another team will pay him 10-11 mil a year, the Hawks just can't do something like that, and still hope to sign ET/Sherm/RW/Okung.

He's gone--OAK, JAX or CHI will snap him up for a price way beyond what we are willing to pay.

Well, they can have him if that is what they want to pay....NEXT!!!!!

I think the Bears are going to overpay for him.

I seriously have no idea at this moment. There are quite a few teams with hefty amounts of cash left under the cap. Personally I don't think Bennett has the tools to be THE man on any DLine, but with the right talent around him, he can definitely push a team over the top. I think there is as much truth to the fact that the players around Bennett here last season made him just as much as he made them better. I don't think his value to a team is as high as he thinks it is ($10 million), but I do think he's definitely worth the $8 million range. I believe some teams may overpay him and I don't see us breaking the $10 million per year mark with him. I can see us slightly overpaying because in our system he is worth more than I think he would be in another system, but I wouldn't go to $10 million and I fear a team like the Raiders just might.

He got our offer, and it wasn't enough. No way by now his agent has not gotten an idea of what someone else will pay.

He gone.