Martellus Bennett

At the 2008 NFL scouting combine, Bennett finished the 40-yard dash in 4.68 seconds, ranking seventh out of the eight tight ends in his group. He ranked third in the vertical jump (34 inches) and fifth in the broad jump (9–9).[24] Along with 30 other prospects,[25] he was invited to the Dallas Cowboys' Valley Ranch headquarters for a predraft visit on April 17–18, 2008.[26]

A week prior to the draft, an Associated Press sportswriter critiqued Bennett's playing abilities as: "Played basketball for the Aggies as well, and has the athletic ability to be a nice red-zone target. Lack of speed means he’s not a deep threat, but once he improves his routes, his strength and size should make him an asset. Needs to improve zone recognition, too. Good, aggressive blocker."[27]

After trading former second-round draft choice Anthony Fasano, the Cowboys selected Bennett in the second round (61st overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft.[28] According to Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones, Bennett was selected not because they needed a backup tight end, but to "add a new dimension" by being part of a two-tight-end offense.[29][30][31] In the 2008 preseason, Bennett learned technique from tight end Jason Witten.[32][33][34] During the preseason camps, the documentary series Hard Knocks initially portrayed Martellus as a lazy and unmotivated player.[35] Although Bennett was initially having trouble learning the Cowboys' offense, he worked hard to improve, as later episodes of Hard Knocks showed.[36][37][38]

He agreed to a four-year contract with the team on July 24.[39] He was given the number-two tight end position over Tony Curtis.[40][41][42][43] In Week 7 against the St. Louis Rams, he recorded his first career touchdown on a 34-yard pass from Brad Johnson.[44] He finished his rookie season with 20 receptions for 283 yards and four touchdowns.[45]

Before the start of his second season, the Cincinnati Bengals offered a future first-round draft choice in exchange for Bennett, but the Cowboys declined.[46] In 2009, he regressed as a receiver, compiling only 15 catches for 159 yards and no touchdowns.[47]

In a January 2010 news conference following the season, Jerry Jones indicated that while Bennett had breakout potential, he needed to put in the focus to meet it. Still, it was a concern that he was being pushed in preseason for the backup job by John Phillips, until Phillips was lost for the season with an ACL tear. In 2010, Bennett recorded a then career-high 33 catches, but for only 260 yards and no touchdowns.[48][49]

During his time with the Cowboys, he sometimes brought attention to himself by making controversial quotes and YouTube videos. Raising some eyebrows with his "Black Olympics" video or his radio interview, where he stated that backup quarterback Jon Kitna deserved a chance to compete for the starting job, after filling in for the injured Tony Romo during the 2010 season.[50][51] He had an injury-plagued preseason in 2011, with an injured hamstring and right high ankle strain, keeping him out of two of four preseason games and two regular-season games, finishing the year with 17 catches for 144 yards and no touchdowns.[52]

Although he could never realize his playmaking potential as the second-string tight end behind Witten, he did develop as an excellent blocker. Before the start of the 2012 season, the Cowboys offered a similar free agent deal as the one he received from the New York Giants, but he decided to leave Dallas, to have the opportunity to start.

On March 14, 2012, he signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Giants. After his weight ballooned to 295 pounds in the off season, when asked about his conditioning during an interview, he responded: "I'm stronger than I've ever been, I'm faster than I've ever been. I could run all day. I'm kind of like a black unicorn out there". In the regular season, he got his weight under control. In the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys, his former team, he recorded his first touchdown in several years.[53] He recorded 55 receptions for 626 yards and five touchdowns in his lone season with the Giants, while playing through different injuries.[54][55]

On March 12, Bennett signed a four-year deal with the Chicago Bears.[56] In Week 2, against the Minnesota Vikings, Bennett recorded his first career multi-touchdown game in the 31–30 victory.[57] He concluded the 2013 season with a career-high 65 receptions and 759 yards.[58] The 65 receptions were tied for eighth in the league among tight ends, and the second-highest in team history, behind Mike Ditka's 75 in 1964. The 759 yards were tied for ninth in yards, while Bennett also tied for 12th in touchdowns among tight ends.[59]

On August 5, Bennett was suspended by the team after slamming teammate Kyle Fuller to the ground after Fuller had violently grabbed him by the helmet.[60][61] Bennett was reinstated on August 10.[62] In Week 4, against the Green Bay Packers, he recorded a career-high 134 yards in the 38–17 loss. In Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys, Bennett recorded his 77th catch of the year, surpassing Mike Ditka for the most receptions by a tight end in Bears history. In the same game, he recorded a career-high 12 receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown.[63] He finished the season with 90 receptions for 916 yards and six touchdowns.[64] On January 19, 2015, Bennett was named to the 2015 Pro Bowl, replacing New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.[65]

Bennett held out during the team's voluntary offseason program over a contract dispute, but reported to minicamp to avoid potential fines. On November 22, Bennett injured his ribs during week 11's matchup against the Denver Broncos.[66] Bennett was "limited" in practice on November 24, 2015.[67] On November 25, the Bears announced that Bennett was ruled out of week 12's matchup against the Green Bay Packers.[68] He returned to action in the overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but had to leave the field after taking a hit in the third quarter and aggravating the injury, before returning to finish the game. On December 9, he was placed on the injured reserve list.[69] At the time, he was leading the team with 53 receptions, but only had 439 receiving yards (ranking third on the team).[70]

Bennett's relationship with his teammates, coaches, and general manager deteriorated through the 2015 season. Bennett voiced displeasure about his tenure with the Bears. He openly criticized Jay Cutler's on-field play in an interview with ESPN The Magazine, claiming "I’d be open and he’d throw into double coverage".[71] He later derided his ex-teammates' morale and work ethic by calling them "a bunch of bitches" in an interview with E:60.[72]

Adam Gase, Bennett's former offensive coordinator in Chicago, described coaching him, “The challenges Marty always brought for me was he’s very intelligent, and he asks a lot of very good questions.”[73]

On March 16, 2016, Bennett was traded along with a sixth-round draft pick (#204-Jordan Lucas) in the 2016 NFL Draft to the New England Patriots in exchange for a fourth-round pick (#127-Deiondre' Hall) in the 2016 NFL Draft .[74] It was reported in the media that the Patriots were trying to recreate the success they experienced with the two-tight end offense that employed the Rob Gronkowski–Aaron Hernandez tandem in 2011 and 2012.

In his first five weeks, Bennett was the most efficient Patriots receiver on the field with 21 receptions for 314 yards and four touchdowns, including a three-touchdown effort in Tom Brady's return in Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns.[75]

After Gronkowski was placed on the injured reserve list in early December, Bennett became the Patriots No. 1 tight end. He finished the regular season playing in all 16 games with 12 starts recording 55 receptions for 701 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns. His 397 yards after the catch ranked No. 2 among NFL tight ends in 2016.[76] During the season, he was forced to play hurt, while battling ankle and shoulder injuries, which required him to undergo offseason ankle surgery to repair a cracked bone.

In the Patriots' Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans, he injured his left knee in the fourth quarter, which would be another injury he would have to deal with until the end of the playoffs.

On February 5, 2017, Bennett was part of the Patriots team that won Super Bowl LI. In the game, he recorded five catches for 62 yards as the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 34–28 in overtime.[77] In overtime, he drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone, giving the Patriots the ball at the two-yard line, setting up James White's touchdown run two plays later. The Patriots had trailed 28–3 in the third quarter, but rallied to win the game. The game marked the first overtime and the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.[78]

On March 10, 2017, Bennett signed with the Green Bay Packers on a three-year, $21 million contract after the team was unable to reach an agreement with Jared Cook, who left for the Oakland Raiders.[79][80] On September 10, in his Packers debut, Bennett had three receptions for 43 yards in a 17–9 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.[81] He was waived by the Packers on November 8, 2017, citing a failure to disclose a medical condition designation.[82][83]

On November 9, 2017, Bennett was claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots.[84][85] On November 10, just a day after being claimed, it was revealed that he was diagnosed with tears in both the rotator cuff and labrum in his shoulder, requiring Bennett to undergo a physical before he could legitimately join the team.[86][87][88] Bennett claimed that the Packers had lied about his failure to disclose the injuries, and was active for his first game back with the Patriots, on November 12 against the Denver Broncos.[89] On November 27, 2017, the Patriots placed Bennett on injured reserve due to shoulder and hamstring injuries.[90] Without Bennett the Patriots reached Super Bowl LII, but the team lost 41-33 to the Philadelphia Eagles.

On March 7, 2018, Bennett was released by the Patriots.[91]

On March 23, 2018, Bennett announced his retirement from the NFL to focus on his multimedia production company.[92]