When the Patriots suspended defensive end Michael Bennett over a dispute with an assistant coach, it seemed like only a matter of time before they’d get rid of him. It was.
The Patriots traded Bennett to the Cowboys today. According to ESPN, The Patriots will get either a 2021 sixth-round pick or a 2021 seventh-round pick, depending on whether Bennett meets certain conditions.
In other words, the Patriots basically gave Bennett away. It’s likely that they wanted to get rid of him but didn’t want to cut him because that could have allowed him to sign with another AFC playoff contender. Trading him to the NFC may have been a higher priority than maximizing the return they could get in a trade.
This is the third time Bennett has been traded in a year and a half. The Seahawks traded him to the Eagles in March of 2018, and the Eagles traded him to the Patriots in March of 2019. Now he’s in Dallas, which may be the last stop for a player who turns 34 next month.
