Sports
Cowboys’ Michael Bennett Restructures Contract, Will Be Free Agent in 2020
Elise Amendola/Associated PressOne week after acquiring Michael Bennett in a trade with the New England Patriots, the Dallas Cowboys have restructured the defensive lineman’s contract.The team announced the change Thursday, noting Bennett originally had two years remaining on his deal but will now be a free agent at the end of the 2019 season.According to…
Elise Amendola/Associated Press
One week after acquiring Michael Bennett in a trade with the New England Patriots, the Dallas Cowboys have restructured the defensive lineman's contract.
The team announced the change Thursday, noting Bennett originally had two years remaining on his deal but will now be a free agent at the end of the 2019 season.
According to Grant Gordon of NFL.com, the team added $750,000 worth of incentives to his current deal, giving him a max deal of about $2 million for the final nine games of 2019.
The 33-year-old has already made $5.6 million this season with the Patriots, including a $4 million signing bonus.
Dallas will be Bennett's fourth team in three seasons after multiple trades in this span. The three-time Pro Bowler with the Seattle Seahawks was sent to the Philadelphia Eagles for one season before going to the Patriots in another offseason trade.
However, the veteran struggled to get much playing time in his most recent spot, appearing in six games mostly off the bench. Per Pro Football Reference, he ranked sixth among Patriots defensive linemen with 130 snaps this year.
He came through with 2.5 sacks in the limited action but couldn't do enough to gain a bigger role on the undefeated squad.
Still, the Cowboys believe in his ability as they try to contend for a playoff spot in the NFC East.
“He's just been a really good player for a long time,” head coach Jason Garrett said of Bennett, per Nick Eatman of the team's official site. “We’ve played against him a lot. He’s a good run defender, a good pass rusher and has a knack for making plays. He competes the right way and plays the right way. We think he can help our football team.”
Impending free agency could give Bennett more motivation to produce at a high level over the next couple of months.
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