The New England Patriots are trading defensive end Michael Bennett to the Dallas Cowboys, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. New England will get a seventh-round pick in exchange for Bennett, with the potential that pick becomes a sixth-rounder in 2021.
The Patriots suspended him for Week 7 for conduct detrimental to the team. He released a statement to ESPN saying he had a “philosophical disagreement” with his positional coach Bret Bielema. When he returned, he seemed to be discontent with staying in New England.
He was asked what he took away from the suspension.
“I didn’t take away nothing,” Bennett said on Wednesday during a meeting with reporters in the Patriots locker room. “I got suspended, lost money. What am I supposed to take away from that? It’s no love lost. It’s just how it is.”
Though The Athletic reported Bennett was upset about his limited playing time, he would not clarify the reason for his suspension.
“It’s America. You can voice your opinion about how you feel on certain things. That’s what I did,” Bennett said, adding later, “Just being myself. I can’t really bite (my) tongue. Nobody else in the league bites their tongue. Just say how I feel and move on from it. We’re just all human. We all go through our own situations. You can have conversations and move on from it. That’s how I feel about it.”
Bennett will finish his Patriots tenure with 2.5 sacks and five tackles in six games. New England acquired him in a trade during the 2019 offseason. The Patriots sent a 2020 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Bennett and a 2020 seventh-round selection. They also gave him a contract restructuring that was a two-year deal with a base value of $16.75 million, including a $4 million signing bonus.
