The trade of tight end Martellus Bennett by the Bears to the New England Patriots answered one question, that of whether or not Bennett was going to be in Chicago after a bumpy Bears history following signing a four-year, $20 million contract in 2013.
For whatever reasons, Bennett did not entirely fit with the Bears, irrespective of his 90 receptions in 2013 and other positives. He wanted more money, didn’t buy in to the programs of coaches Marc Trestman and then John Fox, and the issues finally got him out of town.
[MORE BEARS: Bears trade Martellus Bennett to resolve another 'fit' problem]
But NBC Sports cousin Mike Florio over at ProFootballTalk raised an intriguing question when we chatted early Thursday morning. Florio, with an outstanding set of sensors on the pulses around the NFL, wondered how Bennett would fit in with what rightfully can be called “The Patriot Way” and the culture that has formed around coach Bill Belichick and in particular Tom Brady.
"I have zero idea. And anyone who pretends to have a clear take on how Bennett will behave in any situation is delusional."
As Florio noted, Bennett is now not even the best tight end on the roster (Rob Gronkowski) and becomes realistically just another target for Brady along with Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. If he was cranky at a perceived if non-existent lack of targets in Chicago, how will he react when no one is the least bit interested in his complaints?
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Bennett was less than a consummate professional in his early days with the Dallas Cowboys, as Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin told CSNChicago.com a couple training camps ago. And the New York Giants thought so much of him that they were fine with him leaving after one season there.
The Patriots are about rings and winning. How well Bennett adapts to them, and not vice versa, because that is never going to happen, will be a story line to watch, particularly if Bennett does not get the contract bump he tried to pressure out of the Bears.