Seahawks Sign Special Teams Ace Nick Bellore to Contract Extension
Showing no signs of slowing down, the Seattle Seahawks will be bringing back the heart and soul of their special teams unit after announcing Wednesday that they have agreed to terms with fullback/linebacker Nick Bellore on a new two-year contract.
Speaking with Seattle's team website after signing the contract, which had originally been reported as coming down the pipeline by The Pedestrian Podcast, Bellore said returning to the team for a fifth season wasn't a tough choice to make.
"Before I was here, this was always where I wanted to end up, just because you hear the lore of being here, then finally getting here and being around everybody in the building, there's no other place I'd want to be," Bellore said. "To be here late in my career has been incredible."
Now under contract through 2024, Bellore will enter his 13th NFL season remaining a member of the Seahawks, a remarkable accomplishment on its own considering he wasn't drafted coming out of Central Michigan. Since arriving in the Emerald City, he has been an integral part of the team's consistent success on special teams, including finishing fourth in Football Outsiders DVOA metric.
Since first joining the franchise as a free agent in 2019, Bellore has become one of Seattle's most popular players for his contributions both on and off the field. Aside from being a special teams captain each of the previous two seasons, leading the team in special teams tackles both seasons, and making the Pro Bowl in 2020, his "Between Two Bellores" interviews with teammates have been a smash hit for fans.
Away from his special teams production, Bellore still occasionally moonlights as a fullback and received a single carry for three yards while logging 17 offensive snaps last season. Previously starting at linebacker for the 49ers earlier in his career, he can also jump in on defense in a pinch and such versatility has made him a favorite of coaches and teammates alike.
"He's just everything to everybody," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters last August after Bellore was selected as a captain for the second straight year. "Playmaking, play style, mentality, all of that."
Turning 34 in May, Bellore stands out as one of the elder statesmen on Seattle's roster, with only 35-year-old Al Woods and impending free agent linebacker Bruce Irvin topping him in the age department.
But while he may be getting a bit long in the tooth by NFL standards, Bellore believes he's still playing at the top of his game and he will continue to play as long as his body and performance allows him to. With this new contract in tow, he's ready to get back to work and hoping to finish his career off with the Seahawks.
"If I felt like things were starting to go, I wouldn't do it, because I don't want to go out there just to go out there. I want to stay at the level I've been playing at the last couple of years, and continue to improve, which I think I can still do. Obviously on paper I'm quite old - and in reality, probably - but it was never a question that I was done."
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