Michael Bennett Calls Time on Career
The NFL is still slogging along looking to get in a full season with the regular season slated to begin in Kansas City on September 10 when the Texans battle the Chiefs. How we get there is anyone’s guess but training camps are slated to get underway in the next few days. We also are waiting to see who might decide to opt out of playing as opposed to taking the field in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still raging throughout the country. One thing that has crystallized as of early Tuesday morning is that one well-known player won’t be on the field as they announced their retirement from the league.
Michael Bennett, who has played defensive end for the Seahawks, Buccaneers, Eagles, Cowboys and Patriots over the last 11 years, announced his retirement on Tuesday morning. He earned three straight Pro Bowl selections between 2015 and 2017 in addition to winning a Super Bowl ring with Seattle back in 2013. In a post on his Instagram Tuesday, Bennett said:
"Retiring feels a little like death of self, but I'm looking forward to the rebirth -- the opportunity to reimagine my purpose. I would like to thank my wife and children, who have sacrificed so much for me to succeed. I'm looking forward to supporting them the same way they have me these past 11 years. I have never been more at peace in my life. As the great Toni Morrison said: 'Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.”
Over the course of his career, Bennett played in 156 regular season NFL contests, starting 101 of them. He recorded 359 tackles (259 solo), with 132 tackles for loss, 193 quarterback hits, 69.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, six pass defenses and one defensive touchdown. His best season came in 2015 with Seattle, when he recorded 52 tackles (33 solo), 18 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hits, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles while playing in all 16 games. He earned his first Pro Bowl nod for his efforts that year. In postseason play, he contributed 43 tackles (29 solo), 10 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, 4.5 sacks, four pass defenses, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries over 12 games, 10 of which were starts.
After spending his first four years in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers, Bennett signed with Seattle in March 2013 as a free agent on a one-year, $5 million deal. He broke out with 31 tackles (18 solo), nine tackles for loss, 26 quarterback hits, 8.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and a touchdown while playing in all 16 games, starting three. In the playoffs, he added 11 tackles (six solo), one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries as the Seahawks won the first Super Bowl title in franchise history. For his efforts, Bennett earned a four-year deal worth $28.5 million in the offseason.
He spent five years with Seattle before being traded to Philadelphia in March 2018 along with a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft for a fifth-round pick and Marcus Johnson. Bennett lasted one year in the City of Brotherly Love before being dealt to New England with a seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft for a fifth-round selection in 2020. His time with the Patriots was short-lived as he was dealt to Dallas for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2020 on October 24, 2019. Bennett finished last season with 32 tackles (24 solo), 14 tackles for loss, 15 quarterback hits and 6.5 sacks in 15 games. Six of those contests, including his lone start of the year, were with New England, while the other nine came with Dallas.
After making the decision to step aside and stating unequivocally that he wouldn’t be back later this season to sign with a team, Bennett has his future plans mapped out. He told the New Yorker that he plans on continuing his battle against racial inequality while also spending time with his family. Here’s hoping that Bennett’s success on the field carries over with him as he makes his transition to retirement.