Report: Martellus Bennett Interested in Ending Retirement to Join Brother Michael on Patriots
Tight end Martellus Bennett is interested in coming out of retirement to join his brother Michael, a defensive end who is set to be traded from the Eagles to the Patriots, in New England, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.
Martellus and Michael have reportedly always wanted to play together, but their NFL careers had not made that possible until now.
Michael played for Philadelphia in 2018 after the team acquired him in a trade with the Seahawks for wide receiver Marcus Johnson. The three-time Pro Bowler finished last season with nine sacks, 15 tackles for loss and 56 quarterback hurries. It was reported Friday morning that he was set to be traded to New England.
His brother, Martellus, retired from the NFL last March after 10 seasons in the league, the most recent of which were spent with the Patriots.
The tight end from Texas A&M was a second-round pick in 2008 to the Cowboys. He spent the first four years of his career in Dallas playing behind Jason Witten and went to the Giants for one season after. From New York he made the jump to Chicago, where he spent three years with the Bears and earned a Pro Bowl spot in 2014.
In 2016, Martellus went to the Patriots and grabbed a career-high seven touchdowns to go with 55 catches and 701 yards. He started the 2017 season with the Packers and had 30 catches for 233 yards in nine games, but was cut by Green Bay in November over issues regarding a shoulder injury that sidelined the tight end.
He was claimed by the Patriots on waivers and finished out the year in New England. The Patriots cut Martellus in March 2018, after which he decided to retire. For his career, he has 433 receptions for 4,573 yards and 30 touchdowns.
If Martellus came out of retirement to join Michael in New England, they would be playing alongside the McCourty brothers. Safety Devin McCourty has spent nine seasons with the Patriots and was joined in New England by his twin brother Jason, a cornerback, who was acquired from the Browns in a trade last March.
In an interview with Deion Sanders on Opening Night in Atlanta, McCourty said that he "doesn't know for sure" what his future holds or whether or not he will retire but added that playing alongside his twin on the Patriots made the season extra special.
The Hollister brothers, Jacob and Cody, also both play for the Patriots.
