New England Patriots: Martellus Bennett Will Be Too Expensive for Patriots

The New England Patriots have a lot of talented free agents this offseason. One of them is tight end Martellus Bennett.

It was a great 2016 season for New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett. After being acquired in a trade with the Chicago Bears, Bennett was able to be a big contributor for the Patriots on their Super Bowl run.

While many believed that Bennett was done after a poor 2015 season in Chicago, he was able to rejuvenate his career in New England. In 2016, Bennett was able to total 55 receptions, 701 receiving yards, and seven receiving touchdowns.

Even though Bennett was playing with a cracked bone in his ankle, he was still able to play in every game for the Patriots. Having Bennett on the field was very important for New England, as they were without Rob Gronkowski for most of the season.

Originally brought in to be the second option at tight end for the Patriots, Bennett ended up playing a big role. Due to his bounce back season, Bennett is arguably the best free agent tight end. John Clayton of ESPN recently predicted that Bennett will get a three-year, $21 million deal.  Here’s what Clayton had to say about Bennett.

"As Bennett said after Super Bowl LI, free agents from Super Bowl champions get paid. He is the best tight end on the market and his salary should jump from the $5.1 million deal that just expired."

At that projected number by Clayton, Bennett will almost surely be too expensive for the Patriots to re-sign. With all signs pointing to Gronkowski being healthy for the start of the 2017 season, they might look for a cheaper option for Bennett.

Next: Ranking Patriots' Internal Free Agents

For Bennett, he should be a hot commodity as a free agent this offseason. There aren’t many tight ends of his caliber, and he should be paid handsomely this offseason.