The Curious Case of Martellus Bennett

[the 'stache]

Martellus Bennett signs with the New England Patriots, and wins a Super Bowl ring in 2016.
The next season, the Packers sign him as a free agent. His fifth team in seven years.
He's all smiles early on, sleeping in the locker room at Lambeau Field during training camp.
He's a disappointment in Green Bay, grabbing only 24 passes (dropping several more) for 233 yards and no scores in seven games. He then mysteriously gets an "injury" during the bye week, immediately after Aaron Rodgers breaks his collarbone, and is declared "likely to miss most of the season."
Bennett then declares he will retire in the offseason...halfway into the 2017 season.
The Packers cut him citing said "undisclosed injury."
Then, the Patriots, 28th on the waiver wire, grab a supposedly "injured" Bennett and add him to their roster, waiving defensive end Geneo Grissom to make room.

Something is rotten in Denmark. Seems to me that Bennett decided to take his toys and go home once the Packers were no longer legit threats to go to the Super Bowl after Rodgers got hurt, and somehow New England just happens to sign him. 27 other teams passed on him. But New England knew he was healthy enough to sign.

Anybody else raising an eyebrow or two at this?

[buymycards]

Yes, I was wondering the same thing. The press is trying to get some info from McCarthy and the players, but everyone is avoiding the questions or giving vague answers.

Rick

[steve B]

I'm having a hard time figuring out what you think is odd.

Is it that Bennett is maybe a bit spoiled, wasn't getting it together in GB, pulled an "ow my arm" like in Caddyshack, threatened to retire so he'd be cut, then perhaps had his agent lie to all the teams but one so he could get back to NE ?

I guess maybe on that one? But that's not the sort of player the Pats keep around.

Or you're suggesting some sort of huge Bill conspiracy where he "lets" the guy go to another team with the expectation that he'll stink up the place, until they're no threat then get himself cut and somehow clear 28 other teams in waivers so he can come back?
That's more than a little insane/paranoid......

[Bored5000]

I have read the first two posts several times, and I still don't understand how this "conspiracy" theory supposedly worked. I am not a Patriot fan at all, but they were 28th in waiver wire order. How would they get the 27 teams ahead of them to not claim Bennett if they wanted him?

[nolemmings]

Packers should have just let him rot on the bench.

Is it that Bennett is maybe a bit spoiled, wasn't getting it together in GB, pulled an "ow my arm" like in Caddyshack, threatened to retire so he'd be cut, then perhaps had his agent lie to all the teams but one so he could get back to NE ?

Not far-fetched at all. Guys says he he's going to retire at the end of the year. Guy claims he is so hurt he needs surgery, and Packers plus their docs are treating him unfairly--damn near inhumanely. "They tried to [expletive] over me. Dr. McKenzie trying to cover his own ass. After trying to persuade me to play thru a major injury and me choosing to get surgery." Packers say that if you're in as bad a shape as you claim it's because of conditions and circumstances you knew and didn't disclose--we would have never picked you up and paid FA dollars if we knew you were going to cry your way off to surgery in less than half a season.

Now he plays in a game for New England immediately after acquisition-- the pain and potential future quality of life risks of playing with this "major injury" be damned. Per the New York Post:
"Bennett apparently told his agent to notify teams that he didn’t want to be claimed because surgery was on its way. But once he received a call from the Patriots, with whom he played last season, his apparent season-ending surgery that he so wanted to get somehow was forgotten, and the Patriots convinced the injured tight end to play again this season — immediately."

So unlike Steve, I do not have a hard time figuring out what you think is odd.

[KMayUSA6060]

He's also the brother of Michael Bennett, who most likely fabricated his police brutality story to cover up his own wrong-doing. Lying might just be in the gene pool...

[steve B]

Originally Posted by nolemmings

Packers should have just let him rot on the bench.


Not far-fetched at all. Guys says he he's going to retire at the end of the year. Guy claims he is so hurt he needs surgery, and Packers plus their docs are treating him unfairly--damn near inhumanely. "They tried to [expletive] over me. Dr. McKenzie trying to cover his own ass. After trying to persuade me to play thru a major injury and me choosing to get surgery." Packers say that if you're in as bad a shape as you claim it's because of conditions and circumstances you knew and didn't disclose--we would have never picked you up and paid FA dollars if we knew you were going to cry your way off to surgery in less than half a season.

Now he plays in a game for New England immediately after acquisition-- the pain and potential future quality of life risks of playing with this "major injury" be damned. Per the New York Post:
"Bennett apparently told his agent to notify teams that he didn’t want to be claimed because surgery was on its way. But once he received a call from the Patriots, with whom he played last season, his apparent season-ending surgery that he so wanted to get somehow was forgotten, and the Patriots convinced the injured tight end to play again this season — immediately."

So unlike Steve, I do not have a hard time figuring out what you think is odd.

Hadn't read that in the post. Was it published before or after my post?

And no, he didn't look the slightest bit injured last night.

Assuming they didn't pick him off waivers as a potential player after surgery with a whole offseason to convince him to not retire, I'm really disappointed in the Pats. They've done well with picking up "malcontents" from other teams, but picking up a guy who gives every indication of having deliberately lied isn't what I'd expect.
On the plus side, if he pulls more "ow may arm" nonsense he'll probably be cut again and then who'd sign him?

[1952boyntoncollector]

Really a non story. Lots of guys not want to play for certain teams or not want to play for any accept 1.

The raiders RB this year wouldnt of played for anyone else.

Other guys dont want to be picked #1 in teh draft cause they hate the team.

A team could of used a waiver on Bennett to prevent him from playing anywhere else perhaps...

[the 'stache]

The thing that should be really the focus of all this is that Bennett told everybody that listened that the Packer medical staff pressured him to play with an injury.

Green Bay is well known as having one of the most conservative medical staffs in the NFL. Players are held out if there is even a question that playing could further jeopardize their health, beyond the normal wear and tear of playing in the NFL. Bennett is lying through is teeth about being "forced" to do anything. But his saying as much could greatly impact Green Bay's ability to sign free agents in the future.

[edjs]

Originally Posted by nolemmings

Packers should have just let him rot on the bench.

By exercising the "failure to disclose" option, they don't have to pay Bennett squat. No bonuses, and can recoup monies spent already. Rotting on the bench would have cost, if I read right, about $8mil.

[D. Bergin]

Bennett has been playing hurt since the end of last year with the Pats. He already had well documented shoulder problems.

Pack knew this when they signed him. The way things panned out was in the best interest for everyone.

If Bennett was going to play hurt, it was going to be for a top line QB who least likely was going to get him further injured in the process. Once Rodgers went down, the likelihood he was going to suffer something catastrophic with Hundley throwing to him, went up.

Bennett decides to shelve himself, Packers decide to cut bait and try to get their money back during a season they weren't going anywhere anyways, and Belichick gets that additional tight end he always covets in his system.

How effective he'll be with a bum shoulder, I don't know, but Bennett's most important aspect that everybody forgets about is that he's a fantastic blocker. Pass catching and the fact he's a big body who can get in the end zone every once in awhile is just gravy.

Again, I do believe he has a bad shoulder and that could affect his blocking ability to, but Belichick is willing to drive him into the ground for as long as he can ride him, and Bennett is willing to do so himself, if it might get him a ring at the end of the season.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by edjs

By exercising the "failure to disclose" option, they don't have to pay Bennett squat. No bonuses, and can recoup monies spent already. Rotting on the bench would have cost, if I read right, about $8mil.

Yup.

[buymycards]

I wasn't suggesting any kind of conspiracy, and I wasn't suggesting that anything was amiss with the Patriots picking him up, but when I posted, there was very little info available and the Packers were keeping their mouths shut. Now, more info has come out and some of the other posters have made the situation a little more clear.