Seahawks New Defensive Lineman Has Shoulder Problem

ESPN's Adam Scheffter is reporting that the recently signed Michael Bennett played through a torn rotator cuff in 2012.

The Seahawks signed Bennett on March 16 to help bolster their pass-rush, since DE Chris Clemons is questionable with an ACL tear and DE Bruce Irvin just finished his rookie season.

Bennett, 27, reportedly had been playing with the shoulder injury throughout the 2012 season — yet he still managed to tally nine sacks and 41 total tackles for the Buccaneers. He started all 16 games and played in 89 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps.

Brian McIntyre of Yahoo Sports wrote Sunday that it’s likely the Seahawks knew about Bennett’s injury when they signed him:

Proof that the Seahawks were aware of Bennett’s injury situation is reflected in the contract.

According to a source with knowledge of the details, Bennett received a $1.5 million signing bonus and a $3 million base salary, which is guaranteed. Bennett can earn $200,000 in incentives tied to sacks and has $300,000 in “per game active” roster bonuses, valued at $18,750 each. Unlike their NFC West rivals in San Francisco, the Seahawks do not regularly use “per game active” roster bonuses as part of their contracts. In fact, Bennett is currently the only player on the Seahawks’ roster who has a contract that includes “per game active” roster bonuses, which shows that the team knows there’s a possible reason to suspect Bennett might not play a full slate of games in 2013.

 

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