Benson Mayowa is a professional National Football League(NFL) player who currently serves as a defensive end for Seattle Seahawks.
Besides that, he has played for many prominent NFL teams such as Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, and Arizona Cardinals.
Furthermore, the footballer went undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft. Nevertheless, Mayowa is still having a promising career in the league as an undrafted agent.
Aside from that, Mayowa played collegiate football for the University of Idaho and was an exception for the Idaho Vandals.
Likewise, he served as a defensive end for Inglewood High School during his high school football career. Being the son of immigrant parents, he learned the value of hard work and discipline pretty early on in life.
Similarly, he is one of the most hard-working players in the league and his team. As a result of his dedication to the game, he caught the attention of Seahawks coach Pete Caroll.
Before getting into details about the Hawk’s defensive end, here are some quick facts about him.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Benson Babatunde Mayowa |
| Nick Name | N/A |
| Birth Date | August 3, 1991 |
| Birth Place | Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Idaho |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Horoscope | Leo |
| Father’s Name | David Mayowa |
| Mother’s Name | Eunice Mayowa |
| Siblings | Three |
| Age | 32 years old |
| Weight | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Height | 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Build | Mesomorph |
| Profession | NFL Player |
| Current Team | Seattle Seahawks |
| Active Years | 2013 – Present |
| Position | Defensive End |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Girlfriend | Not Available |
| Kids | N/A |
| Net Worth | $6 million |
| Social Media | Twitter, Instagram |
| Merchandise | Face Mask, Seahawks Jersey, Seahawks Apparel |
| Jersey Number | 95 (Hawks) |
| Last Updated | March, 2024 |
Benson Mayowa | Early Life, Family, And Education
Benson Mayowa was born in Los Angeles, California, the United States. His parents are David Mayowa and Eunice Mayowa.
They are immigrants from Nigeria. Moreover, the NFL player’s father was the first in his family to move to the states. Initially, he came to the States alone in the 70s in search of the American Dream.
Thereafter, he worked hard so that after few years, he could afford to bring his wife to the States. David and Eunice had four kids.
Furthermore, the couple’s struggle did not end as they still had to provide for their children. Hence, the pair led a hectic life to ensure their kids had the best life.
However, their Mayowa family’s life took a turn when Eunice was diagnosed with cancer. She passed away in 2012. Benson was a college senior by then.
In an interview where he talked fondly about his mom and said,
“It [Her death] shook me up, but it’s also made me a better person. Anything that happens in life, every opportunity, you’ve got to grab it. It gave me extra motivation. It gave me the boost to make it. I play for her. I think about her every day.“
The defensive end was very close to his mother, and he was devastated at her loss. In memory of Eunice, he has her photo tattooed on his right forearm.
Education
The athlete went to Inglewood High School as a high schooler. Likewise, Mayowa played high school basketball for the Inglewood Sentinels.
As a result, Mayowa earned a lot of appreciation and honors from the public and officials.
Even though Mayowa’s football skills were exceptional, colleges did not recruit him because of his poor grades. Nevertheless, the University of Idaho made an exception for the NFL player.
They offered him a football scholarship to play for the Idaho Vandals. Thereafter, Benson became the first in his family to attend and complete college.
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Benson Mayowa | Age, Height, And Weight
The Former Raiders player was born on August 3, 1991. Hence, he is 32 years old as of now. Being an athlete, he takes his health and diet very seriously.
Furthermore, Benson eats a balanced diet and works out daily.
As a result, he is quite fit and has a toned physique. He is 6′ tall and weighs 265 lb, i.e., 120 kg.
Benson Mayowa | Football Career
High School And Collegiate Football
The Seahawks defensive end attended Inglewood High school, where he played the senior defensive end. Further, young Benson recorded 75 tackles with 11 sacks and one interception during this time.
Mayowa got the All-league followed by the Second-Team All-California Interscholastic Federation honors. Despite being a fantastic athlete, the footballer’s academic grade was not that great.
Hence, he was not heavily recruited because of his academic grade. Nevertheless, he committed to the University of Idaho, where the athlete was a backup defensive end.
All in all, he had a productive four years with the Idaho vandals. Following the end of his senior year, he entered the 2013 NFL Draft.
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NFL Career
Seattle Seahawks And Oakland Raiders
Unfortunately, in the 2013 NFL Draft, Benson went undrafted.
When asked about it, he said, “My whole life, I’ve been overlooked. So, not getting drafted — I didn’t expect it, everybody expects to get drafted — I’m like, OK, just another chip on my shoulder.”
Nevertheless, the defensive end received an opportunity to attend Seattle Seahawks’ rookie minicamp. At the camp, he managed to impress Hawk’s head coach and president Pete Caroll.
When a reporter asked Pete if the minicamp had any good players, he responded, “Yeah, the kid from Idaho did a nice job.”
As a result, on 13 May 2013, the Seattle Seahawks signed Benson as an undrafted free agent.
Further, he played his first two games with the Seahawks as a reserve defensive end. Nonetheless, after two games, the athlete was declared inactive for the rest of the season.
At last, Mayowa was waived by the Seahawks during the final roster cut in 2014. Instantly, the next day he signed with the Oakland Raiders as a reserve defensive end.
Moreover, the following season the former Vandal became a restricted free agent and later left the Raiders to join the Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys signed Benson in March 2016 for a three-year $8.25 million. Further, his sole purpose was to increase the depth at the defensive end position.
Due to their starting defensive end, Lawerence faced suspension, Benson got to start. However, he lost his position once Lawerence came back from the four-game suspension.
Moreover, Mayowa wasn’t giving the pass rush pressure as expected from him. As a result, Mayowa was declared inactive for most of the games.
Nonetheless, he did return and improved his game a bit.
Furthermore, he was backtracked by a knee soreness at the start of training camp for the next season. Nevertheless, the footballer did recover and retired to the roster.
After playing just two seasons, the Cowboys released the undrafted player on March 7, 2018.
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Arizona Cardinals, Second Stint With The Hawks And Raiders
After much speculation from the media for his next potential team, Mayowa finally signed with the Arizona Cardinals. He filled in for the injured defensive end Markus Golden.
Further, the American-born played 15 games that season, with four starts recording 38 tackles and four sacks. Eventually, the cardinals didn’t re-sign him the next season.
As a result, the defensive end and the Raiders teamed for another year. Moreover, this time he performed well and was looking for a contract extension.
Nevertheless, the Raiders decided to part ways with him. Nonetheless, the Seahawks again signed for a one-yar $3million deal on April 6, 2020.
Following the end of the 2020-21 season, Mayowa was re-signed by the Seahawks for two years.
Achievements & Highlights
- 2013 Super Bowl Champion
- All-league Honors
- Second-team for All-California Interscholastic Federation honors.
Benson Mayowa | Girlfriend, Wife, And Kids
As per our resources, the defensive end is single and is not known to be dating anyone. Since his career in the NFL is starting to flourish and excel, he is more focused on football.
Moreover, Benson wants to give his undivided attention to football, his skills, and work hard. Hence, he does not have time for dating and a girlfriend.
Furthermore, the player is not married, so he does not have a wife or kids. Nevertheless, he is very close to his brother’s son named Kane.
Benson Mayowa | Net Worth And Salary
The footballer has earned most of his wealth amount through his career in the National Football League.
Seahawks’ Benson’s net worth is estimated To be $6 million.
However, the player’s total career earnings amount to $15,485,000. Besides that, he recently signed a two-year extension contract worth $7.62 million with the Seahawks.
Before that, he had signed a one-year contract worth $3 million. Furthermore, the defensive end is set to earn over $4.5 million in salary for the 2021 season.
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Benson Mayowa | Social Media Presence
The NFL player is quite active on multiple social media platforms and can be found on Instagram with 37.5 thousand followers.
The defensive end mostly shares his life as a professional football player on his Instagram handle.
Likewise, his social media account is filled with his football gear and jersey. Besides that, Mayowa also posts his workout routines and snippets of his training.
Gettin ready to do my thing pic.twitter.com/xFeMozWFj3
— Benson Mayowa (@BensonMayowa10) March 9, 2013
Furthermore, he has many pictures with his family and adorable nephew, Kane. Moreover, the footballer is a big Kobe Bryant fan and honors him through his posts occasionally.
Similarly, Benson has a Twitter handle with 16.3 thousand followers. He usually retweets NFL-related news, events, and highlights on his Twitter.
