Former Patriots Tight End Martellus Bennett Announces Retirement After 10 Seasons
After 10 seasons in the NFL, former New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett is trading in playbooks and schemes for coloring books and creativity.
Over the weekend Bennett, 31, took to Instagram to officially announce his retirement from the NFL.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgr3KevAXy7/?taken-by=martellusb
It might not come as a surprise to some because he was hinting at retirement over the course of the 2017 season.
Appears as though Packers TE Martellus Bennett is heading toward retirement upon the conclusion of the 2017 season. pic.twitter.com/aWBDXBdlP3
— Nick Shook (@TheNickShook) October 29, 2017
But in late February Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, said that Bennett wanted to continue playing and the Pats had a timely decision to make.
Despite publicly contemplating retirement last season, #Patriots TE Martellus Bennett does want to continue playing, I’m told. He’s due a $2M roster bonus on March 14, so New England has a decision… but his $6.2M cap hit isn’t bad.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 23, 2018
The Patriots eventually released Bennett on March 7, making him an unrestricted free agent.
But why is Bennett all-of-a-sudden hanging it up? Is it because of his recent hamstring and rotator cuff injuries, which ultimately landed him on Bennett had a tear in the hamstring, which led to the trip to IR. He planned to play through the torn rotator cuff and labrum injury that had bothered him since last year.
Either way, Patriots Nation certainly owes him a thank you for helping the Pats win a FIFTH Super Bowl!
BOSTON – Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett of the New England Patriots celebrate during the Super Bowl victory parade on February 7, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl 51. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
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Bennett made his return to the Patriots in late November this past season following a release from the Green Bay Packers after signing a three-year, $21 million contract during the 2017 offseason.
Through two games with the Pats in 2017, he had six catches for 53 yards and zero touchdowns.
During Bennett‘s only full season with Tom Brady and the Patriots in 2016, he had 55 catches for 701 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns, en route to his only Super Bowl victory. Throughout the season he demonstrated that he could excel and play a critical role in a complicated Patriots offense.
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In 144 NFL career games, Bennett had 433 receptions for 4,573 yards and 30 touchdowns. The Dallas Cowboys second round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft was selected for the 2014 Pro Bowl as a member of the Chicago Bears after catching 90 balls for 916 yards and six touchdowns.
Hey! Just remember Marty B, if you’re ever looking to dance with somebody, the Patriots’ Cheerleaders are ALWAYS down!
FOXBORO, MA – Martellus Bennett of the New England Patriots celebrates with cheerleaders after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 36-17 to win the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 22, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Best of luck in the future and thanks for being one helluva Patriot No. 88.
— By John ‘The Dude’ Hardiman, 985TheSportsHub.com
