By Jordan Long
NFL training camps are set to open this week for rookies. There is one player who won’t be in a camp this year, free agent defensive end Michael Bennett. He decided it was time to walk away from the NFL after 11 years.
Bennett played his college football for Texas A & M. During his 4 year college career, Bennett totaled 6.5 sacks. He proved he could tackle a runner with 112 tackles. Bennett was hoping to be selected in the 2009 NFL draft but wasn’t. Seattle signed him to a contract as an undrafted free agent but Seattle let him go and Tampa Bay picked him up.
In his rookie year for Tampa Bay, Bennett saw action in 7 games. In those games, he had 1 sack. There was more to come from him. He stayed in Tampa Bay until 2012. He joined Seattle in the 2013 offseason.
In Seattle, Bennett’s game improved. He became one of the best defensive ends in the NFL. His top year was 2015 when Bennett total 10 sacks. Seattle went to the playoffs 4 times with him, including winning Super Bowl 48, his only Super Bowl victory.
Bennett left Seattle in the 2018 offseason and agreed to a contract with the Eagles. His stay with Philadelphia lasted one year. He helped the Eagles reach the playoffs but they were knocked off in the Divisional Round by the New Orleans Saints. He saw action in 16 games with 9 sacks and 34 tackles.
Last season Bennett started the year with New England. It lasted 6 games before he was traded to Dallas to finish up the year. His total last year was 6.5 sacks. Dallas let him go at the end of the year.
Bennett decided now was the right time to leave the game. He can still play at a high level. According to ESPN, 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.’
Bennett didn’t have anything left to prove in the NFL game. He played in 156 regular season games, totaling 69.5 sacks and 359 tackles. He could knock the football out of a runner’s hands with 10 forced fumbles. Bennett was selected to 3 Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl. He did everything a player wants to do in the NFL. Bennett will be remembered as a hard-working player even though his stats aren’t Hall of Fame worthy.
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