RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks signed punter Michael Dickson to a four-year contract extension that runs through the 2029 season, the team announced Tuesday.
Dickson, 29, is heading into his eighth season with the Seahawks, and has been a standout special teams player since Seattle selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. He was a first-team All-Pro as a rookie, and ranks third in NFL history with a 48.2 yards-per-punt average.
Coach Mike Macdonald praised the Seahawks’ front office for getting a deal done with Dickson well ahead of the 2025 season.
“I mean he’s the premier punter in the league,” MacDonald said. “Hopefully we showed that with the numbers involved. He’s a weapon for us. The stats show it, the film shows it.”
Dickson is the Seahawks career leader in net average (42.9 yards) while trailing only Jon Ryan for punts downed inside the 20 with 212. Though Dickson has not made an All-Pro team since his rookie season, he has been quite consistent. His lowest net average came in 2019 and was still 40.9 yards per punt.
Safety Julian Love, who has been Dickson’s teammate the past two seasons, discussed just how valuable he’s been in Seattle.
“It can get overlooked, no one’s really saying ‘Oh man, our punter is awesome,’” Love said. “That’s not really our kind of thing. But, we realize in the building that our punter is actually awesome. Mike, he just gets after it. He’s super consistent with his work, I mean with his body. He’s just a pro.”
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FILE - Seattle Seahawks punter Michael Dickson (4) punts the ball before an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Dec. 15, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ben VanHouten, File)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A shooting outside a church building in Salt Lake City killed two people and injured six others Wednesday, police said.
The shooting took place in the parking lot of a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church.
Dozens of people were attending a funeral inside at the time. All the victims were adults.
Police said they do not believe the shooter had any animus toward a particular faith.
“We don’t believe this was a targeted attack against a religion or anything like that,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said.
Police also do not believe the shooting was random. Authorities said no suspect was in custody.
About 100 law enforcement vehicles were at the scene in the aftermath, and helicopters flew overhead.
“This should never have happened outside a place of worship. This should never have happened outside a celebration of life,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall said.
The church was cooperating with law enforcement and was grateful for efforts first responders' efforts, a spokesperson said.
“We extend prayers for all who have been impacted by this tragedy and express deep concern that any sacred space intended for worship should be subjected to violence of any kind,” Sam Penrod said in a statement.
The church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, and about half of Utah’s 3.5 million residents are members of the faith. Churches like the one where the shooting occurred can be found in towns throughout the city and state.
The faith has been on heightened alert since four people were killed when a former Marine opened fire in a Michigan church last month and set it ablaze. The FBI found that he was motivated by “anti-religious beliefs” against the church.
Police respond to a fatal shooting in a parking lot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
Police respond to a fatal shooting in a parking lot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
Police respond to a fatal shooting in a parking lot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)
People hug each other after a fatal shooting in a parking lot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)
Funeral attendees leave a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after a fatal shooting in the parking lot in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Laura Seitz/The Deseret News via AP)
Police respond to a fatal shooting in a parking lot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Rio Giancarlo/The Deseret News via AP)
