RENTON — The Seattle Seahawks are reuniting with another former pass rusher after agreeing to terms on a deal with defensive end Benson Mayowa.
Mayowa’s agent David Canter tweeted the sides had reached an agreement Wednesday. NFL Network reported it’s a one-year deal.
Mayowa is the second former Seahawks pass rusher being brought back for another opportunity. The Seahawks agreed to a deal with former first-round pick Bruce Irvin in the opening days of free agency.
Mayowa didn’t get much of an opportunity in his one season with the Seahawks in 2013, appearing in just two regular-season games. Over the last four seasons, he’s developed into a solid pass rusher off the edge. Mayowa had six sacks in 13 games in 2016 with Dallas. In 2018 with Arizona, Mayowa had four sacks and a career-high 38 tackles.
And last year with the Raiders, Mayowa had a career-best seven sacks and three forced fumbles.
Mayowa, who will turn 29 in August, was an undrafted free agent out of Idaho when he entered the league with the Seahawks.
Ifedi to Bears
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears finalized a one-year deal with former Seattle Seahawks offensive lineman Germain Ifedi on Wednesday.
The Bears were looking to boost their blocking coming off a disappointing year. They missed the playoffs at 8-8 in a season that began with Super Bowl aspirations after going 12-4 to win the NFC North in 2018.
The 6-5, 325-pound Ifedi made 60 starts at guard and tackle over four seasons for Seattle after being drafted out of Texas A&M with the No. 31 overall pick in 2016. He figures to replace Kyle Long at right guard after the Bears released the three-time Pro Bowl pick who was limited the past four seasons by injuries.
Chicago’s offense ranked among the worst in the NFL last season. The line struggled to open holes for the run game as the Bears averaged just 91.1 yards rushing, 27th in the league.
Patriots help out
BOSTON — Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker found himself in need of an assist to help the state fight the coronavirus pandemic.
He called on the New England Patriots.
The team’s private plane was on schedule to return to Boston from China on Thursday evening carrying more than one million masks critical to health care providers fighting to control the spread of the virus.
Baker secured the N95 masks from Chinese manufacturers but had no way of getting them to the U.S. He reached out to Patriots team owner Robert Kraft, who loaned the Boeing 767.
The masks will be going into Massachusetts’ stockpile for distribution to medical personnel.
Nolan said 300,000 of the masks will also be going to New York to help medical personnel there. Baker said Rhode Island will also receive some of the masks.
More playoff teams
NEW YORK — The NFL is gearing up for a normal season and playoffs — with two additional wild-card teams in the Super Bowl chase.
NFL team owners voted this week to expand the playoffs by one team in each conference for a total of 14 next season as they continue to plan for the 2020 season to begin on time.
During a conference call to discuss league business after the annual meetings were canceled due to the new coronavirus, the owners also awarded one of those extra games to CBS and one to NBC. Three-fourths of the 32 owners needed to approve the change, and the vote was unanimous, football operations chief Troy Vincent said.
The Associated Press
