Eagles To Trade Michael Bennett To Patriots

The Eagles are trading defensive end Michael Bennett to the Patriots, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). Philadelphia will acquire a 2020 fifth-round pick while New England will receive Bennett and a 2020 seventh-rounder, tweets McLane.

Philadelphia acquired Bennett for a fifth-round pick last year. The Pats attempted to land Bennett from the Seahawks last year; they will make the move a year later, in advance of the versatile defensive lineman’s age-34 season.

Lately, we’ve heard that the Eagles were planning to trade or release Bennett to improve their cap situation. Usually, when a talented player is involved, teams will ask that player to accept a pay cut. On Friday morning, Bennett went on national television to explain that he would not entertain such an offer. In fact, he made it known that he is expecting a raise from his $7.2MM salary for 2019.

It’s not immediately clear whether the Patriots will accommodate his request. Given their track record, it seems unlikely.

In any event, the Patriots have successfully safeguarded themselves against the potential loss of Trey Flowers. Flowers projects as one of the most highly-coveted free agents when the market opens up on Thursday and the Pats are not expected to outbid the competition.

In Bennett, the Patriots acquired a skilled sack artist, albeit one who is several years older than Flowers. Last year, Bennett amassed nine sacks for Philly, giving him his highest total since 2015. The three-time Pro Bowler has 63 career sacks to his name across nine NFL seasons.

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