The New England Patriots could suddenly find themselves very thin at the tight end position if Rob Gronkowski is unable to recover quickly and Martellus Bennett leaves as a free agent, but they are hoping neither will be an issue.
Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal expects the Patriots to “make a run” at re-signing Bennett in the coming weeks despite the fact that he is considered the top tight end entering the free agent pool. As Daniels notes, having Bennett under contract would allow New England to be cautious with Gronkowski, who is coming off his third back surgery since college.
Bennett will turn 30 next month, so this could be his last chance to sign a big contract. He hinted after the Super Bowl that he will be seeking top dollar, though he has also made it clear that he enjoyed playing with the Patriots and can see how remaining in the Boston area would be beneficial for him off the field.
Another option for the Patriots would be to franchise tag Bennett, as they have plenty of salary cap space and could want to buy themselves an extra year to see how the Gronkowski situation plays out. The salary cap figure for tight ends is projected to be $9.84 million, and Bennett would likely be seeking around $8 million per year on the open market anyway.
