Sunday, February 10, 2013
Where FA Martellus Bennett will land
By Tom Carpenter
New York Giants tight end Martellus Bennett will be a free agent this offseason. He has mentioned previously that he would be willing to take a hometown discount to stick with the team, but it's entirely possible that a good free-agent offer could lure him away.
One spot that could have an inside line on Bennett is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because his brother, DE Michael Bennett, is a free agent for that team.
"I will be a little surprised if the Bucs don't target Bennett ... Remember, if the Bucs retain DE Michael Bennett - and my guess is they will go after his brother Martellus in the hopes of creating a package deal - they can use Michael Bennett and Daniel Te'o-Nesheim inside," wrote Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
Another option could be the Cleveland Browns, who likely will let free agents Ben Watson and Alex Smith walk.
"The club will scour the free agent market for a starter. Some expected to come free are the Giants' Martellus Bennett and the Jets' Dustin Keller," wrote the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot, who noted that TE figures to be an important position for the Browns, whose head coach, Rob Chudzinski, used to play tight end. Both he and offensive coordinator Norv Turner also worked with star TE Antonio Gates.
Of course, all of the free-agent speculation could be a moot point if the Giants slap him with the franchise tag, which figures to run about $6 million for tight ends.
