The Martellus Bennett experience is back in Foxborough.
The tight end played in Sunday night's blowout win over the Denver Broncos, catching three passes for 38 yards in limited time, just days after re-joining the New England Patriots.
It was quite an eventful week for Bennett. The veteran was cut by the Green Bay Packers with a "failure to disclose an injury" designation. Planned to undergo surgery. Criticized the Green Bay medical staff, for which he got a ton of blowback from longtime Packers. Got claimed by the Patriots. Did not have surgery. Passed a physical and practiced Friday. Then played Sunday.
Following the win in Denver, Bennett addressed how he magically went from needing surgery to playing with his former team with just one practice.
Bennett insisted he had planned to have surgery and had his agent tell teams not to claim him. In the end, however, he couldn't say no to Bill Belichick.
"It's not about, 'Could you play?' It's, 'Should you play?' It was one of those things," Bennett said. "Right now, I'm just like, [expletive] it. At first, I told my agent to tell no teams to claim me because I was still trying to get the surgery. So when Bill called and said they claimed me, I was like, 'No [expletive] way.'"
Some will surmise that Bennett forced his way out of Green Bay once Aaron Rodgers went down, especially after the tight end took shots at the Packers' medical staff.
"I got criticism from all from my former organization," Bennett said. "[Expletive] at this point I am rubber and you are glue. Anything you say bounces off me and sticks to you. So, at this point, there is nothing anyone else can say to me in my career to make me feel anyway towards myself. The team that I will always have, that will always be there, my wife and daughter are always rooting for me now matter what. I may wear different jerseys but I am still the same man to my family. That's all that really matters. Like I told the guys, in order for a phoenix to be reborn he must first turn to ashes."
With Bennett back on a playoff contender, this situation isn't over, especially with Green Bay planning to go after the tight end's signing bonus.
