Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said he doesn't expect the Seahawks to bring him back in 2018, citing his age as the main reason he believes the team will go a different direction after missing the playoffs in 2017.
"I probably won't be back next year," Bennett told the Tacoma News Tribune on Sunday, after a 26-24 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. "Just seems like it's a young man's game. I can see them going younger, with younger players. That's part of the game."
The Seahawks missed the postseason for the first time in five seasons. As a result, the 32-year-old with two Pro Bowl appearances said he thinks "a lot of changes" are in line. Bennett is signed through the 2020 season and is due a $4 million bonus in March.
"With me, I'm fine. I mean, whatever happens, I've loved being a Seahawk," he told reporters on Sunday. "You love the organization. You love the players that you played with. We've won a lot of games. So if I am not here I would never have any hard feelings toward the organization."
Bennett was one of many players taking on a public activist role fighting racial injustice this season, most notably protesting during the national anthem before several games.
Bennett also said Sunday that he played through the pain of a torn plantar fascia foot injury throughout much of 2017. "You do what you can for your teammates," he said.
