om early in the fourth after what was diagnosed as a

RENTON, Wash. -- Michael Bennett gambled last off-season that playing on a one-year deal in Seattle would pay off in the future with the long-term contract he always wanted. He was proven to be correct. Bennett now has a Super Bowl title and a new four-year contract that will keep him with the Seahawks. "I dont know if there was any doubt, but there was a lot of speculation a lot of teams tried to get me to come there," Bennett said Monday after signing his new deal. "But ultimately I wanted to come back and play with these guys and win some more games." Bennett was considered one of the top free agents in the NFL after a breakout season with the Seahawks where he led the team in sacks and proved a versatile option as a defensive end and defensive tackle. But he never made it all the way to the start of free agency Tuesday after the Seahawks came up with a satisfactory deal. Terms were not announced by the team. Pro Football Talk reported Bennetts deal was worth about $28.5 million with $16 guaranteed. Bennett said there were other teams offering more money, but the guaranteed amount was most important. Bennett was thought to have been strongly pursued by Chicago, where he had a chance of joining his brother, Martellus, with the Bears. But he ultimately decided to return to Seattle. "Yeah there was more, but I wanted to be here man. There are a lot of young guys here, and there are a lot of winning ways and I just love the organization and the things that they are about. I love the staff, from the equipment staff to the medical staff; it just goes on and on." Lost in the speculation about Bennetts future was his history with Seattle and specifically defensive co-ordinator Dan Quinn. The Seahawks signed Bennett as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M in 2009 and gave him a spot on their roster for the start of that season when Quinn was his defensive line coach. Even though he was eventually waived and claimed by Tampa Bay, that initial relationship with Seattle remained strong. Its partly why Bennett jumped at the chance to return last off-season with Quinn as the new defensive co-ordinator, even if it meant playing on a one-year deal that paid only $3 million in base salary. Its also a factor in why hes staying now. "At the end of the day, it was about being comfortable and being in a good situation," Bennett said. "Sometimes going to a whole other organization doesnt work out the way it worked out for me coming here and being with these guys. A lot of times people take a lot of money and they go to places and theyre not what they turned out to be. I know what this place is. Im familiar with the staff and players and it makes a big deal to be here." Seattle seemed to understand what it would take to retain Bennett. The Seahawks parted with defensive end Red Bryant and wide receiver Sidney Rice to create additional salary cap space. Coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider have been steadfast that their top priorities in free agency were retaining their own players and not making big splashes by signing others. Bennett was at the top of the list with wide receiver Golden Tate not far behind. Bennett had 8 1/2 sacks in the regular season and a fumble return for a touchdown. His numbers would have likely been higher had the Seahawks figured out earlier in the season how best to utilize their defensive line rotation. Bennett had even more impact in the playoffs. He had a forced fumble and recovery that gave Seattle an early lead in the NFC divisional playoff win over New Orleans, and added one sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the NFC championship game against San Francisco. "We had hopes he would be a real contributor and he exceeded our expectations and were excited to keep him," Carroll told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday. "Hes got great energy, a terrific motor and hes a very versatile football player. We really need to play him more. He didnt play a lot of plays the first half of the season, we specialty played him, and then we played him more as the year went on. We got better and he helped us. Were excited about it." Jarrett Stidham Youth Jersey . The Blueshirts hope to stay alive once again when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins in Sundays Game 6 battle at Madison Square Garden. Andre Tippett Patriots Jersey . -- Jack Del Rio only wanted to talk about the Cowboys, not the Trojans. https://www.patriotssportsgoods.com/Womens-Stephon-Gilmore-Inverted-Jersey/ . The Blue Jackets play Thursday night at New Jersey in their first game after the NHLs Olympic hiatus. A native of Trencin, Slovakia, Gaborik has represented his country at the 2006 and 2010 Olympics but was unable to play in Sochi because of his injury. Irving Fryar Womens Jersey . - The width of Alec Martinezs shin guard was the difference between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks in their playoff series opener. Tom Brady Jersey . "Im very pleased to be able to add a quarterback with Adrians experience and skill set," Calgary head coach and general manager John Hufnagel said in a statement.New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Arron Afflalo and Ty Lawson were both instrumental down the stretch to help the Denver Nuggets snap their seven-game losing streak. Afflalo had a team-high 20 points and Lawson distributed 13 assists in the Nuggets 93-85 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. Lawson had just five points on 2-of-12 shooting, but his basket late in the fourth along with a pair of assists to Afflalo aided to the win. I thought defensively that we were active, Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. We didnt turn the ball over a great deal. Tyreke Evans scored 15 of his 25 points in the third quarter to pace the Pelicans, who had their four-game winning streak halted. Anthony Davis, who temporarily left the game in the third after suffering a leg injury, supplied 24 points and 12 rebounds in the setback. New Orleans trailed by six with under four minutes left in the fourth when Davis converted a runner through the lane before Eric Gordon, who went 4-of-15 shooting for 11 points, knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one. The Nuggets countered as Lawson found Afflalo for a trey, then Lawson made a layup after a nifty drive on forwards Dante Cunningham and Omer Asik, increasing the advantage to 91-85 with 1:34 remaining. We had a few defensive miscues. We gave up some timely (3-pointers). That one from Afflalo was a tough one to come back from, Pelicans coach Monty Williams said. Ryan Anderson was off the mark for the Pelicans and Denver gained an extended possession at the other end after a missed jumper from Lawson went off Davis out of bounds. Afflalo made it count, hitting a jumper on a feed from Lawson to make it an eight-point game, and the Nuggets got back in the win column.dddddddddddd Evans 3-pointer gave the Pelicans a 55-54 lead, then he capped an 18-5 surge to open the second half with a jumper the next trip down the floor. Lawson and Afflalo each connected on 3s, however, to move Denver back in front. Late in the third, New Orleans got a scare when Evans went up top to Davis for an alley-oop, but Kenneth Faried was there to intercept the pass and Davis landed awkwardly. Davis gingerly walked off the floor and was helped into the locker room by the Pelicans staff. After receiving medical attention, he came out of the locker room early in the fourth after what was diagnosed as a groin injury and was immediately inserted back into the game. Both teams went into the fourth tied at 70-70. The Nuggets made five straight shots during a 13-2 run in the first quarter, with Faried and Afflalo each alternating a pair of baskets to help the visitors grab a 24-13 lead. Denver preserved its 11-point margin after the first, then Danilo Gallinari dropped in a 3-pointer over four minutes into the second, extending the lead to 39-23. New Orleans responded with an 8-0 run that Davis capped with six straight points. Gallinari missed a 3 in the closing seconds of the half prior to Faried scrambling for an offensive rebound over Cunningham and making a mid- range jumper for a 49-39 Nuggets lead at the break. Game Notes Denver had dropped 10 of its last 12 on the road entering the game ... Jusuf Nurkic had 15 points and nine rebounds in the win ... New Orleans was successful on just three of its 15 3-pointers ... Denver scored 14 points off 10 Pelicans turnovers. ' ' '