The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to trade three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Bennett to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick and backup wide receiver Marcus Johnson, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday.
Bennett, 32, is due to earn $7.4m next season, the first of three remaining years on his contract, making him a poor fit for a Seattle team looking to get younger and cheaper on defense.
The veteran pass rusher appeared to confirm the swap on Wednesday afternoon when he tweeted a photoshopped image of himself in an Eagles jersey with the caption ‘free meek mill’, a nod to the Philadelphia rapper whose incarceration on minor probation infractions has become a focal point in the fight against racial injustice.
Michael Bennett
(@mosesbread72)🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🎟🏅🏅🏅🏅 free meek mill pic.twitter.com/RgpOme044m
The Eagles do not have an surplus of cap room but they will take on Bennett anyway in their bid to repeat as Super Bowl champions, a move that will likely require trading either Vinny Curry or Beau Allen. By trading Johnson, they part ways with a reserve wideout who’s played sparingly while making only five catches in 10 career games.
The news came down amid reports that Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman could also be facing the end of his Seattle days.
The NFL Network reported earlier Wednesday that Sherman has been telling team-mates that he won’t be with the team next season, though the four-time Pro Bowler later told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he hasn’t “been told anything” about his future with the team.