Seahawks agree to terms with pass rusher Benson Mayowa, agent says

The Seahawks are still waiting on Jadeveon Clowney, but they’ve added to their pass rush in the meantime.

Hawks’ top competition for Clowney has apparently emerged

Benson Mayowa, a 28-year-old defensive end who had a career-high seven sacks for the Raiders last season, has agreed to terms to the team, according to his agent David Canter.

An alum of the University of Idaho, Mayowa began his NFL career with the Seahawks in 2013, making two combined tackles in two games after signing as an undrafted free agent shortly after that year’s NFL Draft.

Mayowa spent two seasons as a role player with the Raiders, then signed a three-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys in 2016. He flashed in his first year with Dallas, making six sacks in 13 games, but was cut ahead of the 2018 season. He went to Arizona that year, where he had three sacks, and then signed a one-year deal worth $3 million with the Raiders for 2019.

He was second on the Raiders with his seven sacks last year despite not starting any of the 15 games he played. That sack number is three more than any Seahawks player had in 2019.

Down he goes.

Credit @Benny_b0y10 with that sack. pic.twitter.com/SsAYojIey0

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 15, 2019

Mayowa has never started more than six games in any of his seven NFL season, which indicate what kind of role Seattle may have in mind for him. It also makes his sack totals all the more impressive.

NFL.com’s Tom Pellissero reports that Mayowa’s deal with Seattle is for one year with $3 million guaranteed.

The #Seahawks are giving DE Benson Mayowa a one-year deal worth over $3 million fully guaranteed, per source. Max over $4M with incentives.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 1, 2020

This is the second addition made by the Seahawks to their pass rush, which was unquestionably one of their biggest need after last season. Coincidentally, the other signing to the pass rush was another player who returned to the team: Bruce Irvin, who was a teammate of Mayowa’s with Seattle in 2013.

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• 2020 offseason tracker: Signings, departures and more

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