He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, and signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2009.

Bennett attended Alief Taylor High School in Houston, Texas, where he played football, baseball, and competed in track.

In football, he earned first-team All-District honors as a defensive lineman in his senior year, after compiling 110 tackles and four sacks.

[10][11] Bennett was waived by the Seahawks on October 10, 2009 in order to make room for offensive tackle Kyle Williams, who was signed off of the practice squad.

Bennett was a key contributor to the 2013 Seahawks defensive unit that ranked first in the NFL and went on to win Super Bowl XLVIII.

[18] In Super Bowl XLIX, with 18 seconds left in the end of the game, Bennett committed a neutral zone infraction.

[19] Eight games into the 2015 season, Bennett was ranked as the ninth-best edge defender in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.

This led to an altercation between the two teams, and that resulted in teammates Sheldon Richardson and Quinton Jefferson being ejected from the contest.

[25] On January 22, 2018, Bennett earned his third straight invite to the Pro Bowl after Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen could not attend due to injury.

[30] On October 15, Bennett was suspended by the Patriots for one game — a Monday Night Football matchup against the New York Jets — for conduct detrimental to the team.

[32] He was acquired to offset the loss of defensive end Tyrone Crawford, who was placed on the injured reserve list on October 15.

[36] The foundation operates out of Washington, Texas, and Hawaii, offering free and accessible education, children's camps and activities, and health screenings.

[37] In January 2020, Bennett partnered with Lemonada Media to launch Mouthpeace with Michael and Pele, a weekly podcast exploring topics such as family, his career, American society, and culture.

The first episode of Mouthpeace was released on January 31, 2020, and subsequent guests have included Dr. John Carlos, Dawan Landry, Dr. Eddie Glaude, Beto O’Rourke, Edouardo Jordan, Laila Ali, and Cliff Avril.

[39] Bennett's sack dance, in which he places his hands on his head and swivels his hips, was modeled after professional wrestler Rick Rude.

[43] In the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, Bennett endorsed Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary, praising him for his positions on climate control and social justice.

Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said he found no evidence that three officers who encountered Bennett racially profiled him or used excessive force against him.

[50][51][52][53] On March 23, 2018, a warrant was issued for Bennett's arrest by police in Harris County, Texas for allegedly injuring an elderly paraplegic worker at Super Bowl LI, held 13 months previously.