Bears reportedly questioned Martellus Bennett’s commitment to team

The Chicago Bears traded Martellus Bennett to the New England Patriots this week even though that meant getting rid of one of their best offensive weapons. There were numerous reasons given for their decision.

In a column published Thursday, The Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer touched on many of the reasons, which range from Bennett’s contract concerns, questions about his commitment to the team, and his willingness to be a team player.

From Wiederer’s column:

In the end, there were too many worries inside Halas Hall that Bennett’s ongoing fixation on securing a bigger contract couldn’t be squelched. There were pervasive doubts as to just how committed he was to helping the Bears become a champion.

And from the tight end himself there seemed to be minimal effort to conform to the unselfish and focus-driven culture that coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace have pushed to create.

This really isn’t all that surprising given Bennett’s history. Much like his brother, Michael, Martellus is outspoken and tends to make headlines with his outlandish comments, such as this one. By speaking his mind and making headlines, Bennett can become a difficult teammate to deal with. There were also reports in December that he had a blowup because he was upset with his role in the Bears’ offense.

The Bears sent Bennett and a sixth-round pick to the Patriots for a fourth-round pick in the draft. Bennett had 439 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games last season.