A Bennett family reunion could be heading to Chicago.
A year after the Bears signed tight end Martellus Bennett, the team reportedly is in “strong pursuit” of Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Two team officials told Briggs that the team expects to sign Bennett once the free agency period opens on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Bennett signed a one-year, $5 million deal in Seattle last year after hitting free agency as a member of the Buccaneers. The Seahawks wanted to re-sign Bennett; a report from Super Bowl Sunday said they definitely would.
At this point, it looks like they won’t, barring an unexpected development.
It’s also possible that the acquisition of Bennett via a market deal will conclude defensive end Julius Peppers’ run with the Bears. Signed on the first day of free agency four years ago, Peppers has an $18.1 million cap number and a $13.9 million salary. If the Bears keep him at that number, they’ll have more than $40 million in 2014 cap space tied up in two players -- Peppers and quarterback Jay Cutler, whose cap number is $22.5 million.
