Martellus Bennett reportedly wants to return, but will the Patriots feel the same way?

So the offseason has suddenly gotten a lot more interesting for the Patriots, at least when it comes to the tight end position.

On the heels of Rob Gronkowski’s noncommittal answer about his future following the Super Bowl, a report dropped Friday morning that indicated Martellus Bennett is interested in returning for another season. The tight end, who hinted last year would be his final season, does want to continue playing after his 2017 season was cut short by an acrimonious divorce from the Packers and a shoulder injury that limited him to just two games with New England.

So what does that mean for the Patriots?


Theoretically, if New England did end up losing Gronkowski to the WWE or action movies or whatever, the return of Bennett for another season sounds like a great idea. Let's be honest: Bennett is not nearly as overwhelming as Gronkowski, but when he’s healthy, Bennett is a worthy offensive option — in his first go-round with the Patriots in 2016, he had 55 catches for 701 yards and seven touchdowns, all of which came in a year when Gronkowski was in and out of the lineup. The familiarity with Tom Brady and the offensive system would be a big plus.

But there’s one sticking point: Bennett, who will turn 31 next month, is due a $2 million roster bonus on March 14, which could serve as a fundamental deadline for whether or not he’d play at the $6.2 million cap hit he’d be owed for the 2018 season, part of a deal he signed with Green Bay prior to the start of the 2017 season. That cap hit is a sizable chunk of change for any New England skill position player.

The bottom line? It’s far-fetched to think the Patriots would agree to that sort of deal with Bennett. If both sides can re-do that contract and get it down to a more manageable rate for 2018, then the prospect of Bennett’s return to New England is far more likely. But the truth is that it would be hard to imagine the Patriots keeping Bennett at that price, regardless of what happens with Gronkowski this offseason.