Seattle’s Michael Bennett says a holdout is ‘definitely possible’

Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett has not been shy about his desire for a new contract. First, there were rumors he wanted to be traded to the Atlanta Falcons. He denied those and instead said the issue was he simply wanted a new contract. He's held to that stance since, floating the possibility of a holdout multiple times. Bennett appears strong in that stance, telling Steve Wyche of NFL.com that it is "definitely possible" he holds out of training camp.

Whether he holds out or reports to camp, Bennett hasn't wavered yet. He signed a four-year, $28 million contract last offseason, but said he's outplayed the contract and deserves to get paid what he's worth. That in itself is a tough question to answer because Bennett does a lot for the Seahawks without putting up prolific numbers. His impact, however, is obvious when watching Seattle. The Seahawks are loaded defensively, but at times, Bennett is Seattle's best defender on the field.

That doesn't mean Seattle is going to meet his contract demands. The Seahawks do not like renegotiating contracts in their early years. Marshawn Lynch briefly held out of training camp last season, with Seattle doing little to change his contract. Seattle GM John Schneider said that was about setting a precedence and it seems unlikely he would change his stance a year later.

Bennett previously said he thinks he should be paid near the top seven of his position. According to Spotrac, a top-seven contract among defensive linemen is worth upwards of $12 million per season, considerably more than the $7 million annual value of Bennett's current deal. There is a legitimate question of whether Seattle could even afford to give Bennett a raise. Seattle has limited salary cap space with Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner among the players due for big extensions.