11-year NFL defensive end Michael Bennett has retired from the league. Bennett, a former undrafted free agent, spent parts of the 2019 season with the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys. In addition to those two teams, Bennett also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, and Philadelphia Eagles. He finished his career with 69.5 sacks and one Super Bowl ring.
Veteran DE Michael Bennett is retiring after 11 NFL seasons, he announced on Instagram.
Bennett was a three-time Pro Bowl selection with 69.5 career sacks and a Super Bowl ring. pic.twitter.com/DoAmZkr5qE
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 21, 2020
Michael Bennett Retires
Bennett spent the 2019 season with two of the league’s most popular teams. Bennett began the season with the New England Patriots in a rotational role. In six games, he recorded 2.5 sacks. The Patriots then sent Bennett to the Dallas Cowboys for a conditional seventh-round pick. Bennett got 4.5 sacks in nine games with Dallas.
Entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M in 2009, Bennett was part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive line rotation his first two seasons before becoming a regular in the starting lineup in 2011. He broke out in 2012, notching nine sacks and three forced fumbles.
One of the top prizes entering free agency in 2013, Bennett signed with the Seattle Seahawks and racked up 8.5 sacks on the league’s best defense as Seattle won the Super Bowl. From 2015 through 2017, Bennett made the Pro Bowl every season as he totaled 23.5 sacks during this time.
Following the 2017 season, Bennett was part of a trade that sent him to the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2018, Bennett appeared in all 16 games as part of the deep defensive line rotation, starting 10 games along the way and notching nine sacks and two forced fumbles. Following the season, Bennett was involved in another trade that sent him to the Patriots.
In his career, Bennett made three Pro Bowl appearances while accumulating 69.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and one touchdown.
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