Seahawks Agree to Terms with Veteran DE Benson Mayowa
Taking another blast to the past to bolster their pass rush, the Seahawks have agreed to terms with veteran defensive end Benson Mayowa.
According to his agent David Canter, Mayowa will return to Seattle after spending last season with Oakland. Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, he will sign a one-year deal worth $3 million fully guaranteed and could earn up to $4 million with incentives.
The Seahawks had been investigating re-signing Mayowa since the early stages of free agency, and with many other notable pass rushers signed, they worked swiftly to lock him up before the draft on April 23-25.
Now 28 years old, Mayowa originally entered the league in 2013 as an undrafted free agent. After the Seahawks initially saw him at Idaho's pro day, he attended the team's rookie minicamp and then signed with the team, taking an unconventional route to earning a spot on the team's 53-man roster.
As a rookie, Mayowa dressed for two games and recorded two tackles. The following August, he was waived by Seattle and claimed by Oakland, where he would appear in 28 games over the next two seasons.
A bit of a late bloomer, Mayowa enjoyed his first stellar season with Dallas in 2016, finishing with 25 tackles and 6.0 sacks. After a one-year stint with Arizona, he returned to Oakland last year and produced a career-high 7.0 sacks in a reserve role.
In seven NFL seasons with four teams, Mayowa has amassed 20.0 sacks, 131 tackles, and 41 quarterback hits.
Along with Bruce Irvin, who signed with the Seahawks earlier this month, Mayowa will return to the Pacific Northwest with an opportunity to help resurrect one of the NFL's worst pass rushes. Even after trading for Jadeveon Clowney and signing Ziggy Ansah, the team finished next-to-last in sacks and among the league's worst in pressure rate.
The decision to sign Mayowa shouldn't impact Seattle's plans trying to re-sign Clowney or potentially pursue Everson Griffen, though the idea of signing both may now be off the table. Each player remains a target as the team looks to continue addressing the pass rush this offseason.
