Martellus Bennett: Oakland Raiders could be ideal fit
Martellus Bennett is going to get paid a lot of money as a free agent, and the Oakland Raiders could be the perfect fit…
New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett was a phenomenal offseason trade acquisition in 2016. In 2017, he’s looking for big money and I think the Oakland Raiders should seriously consider giving it to him.
While the Raiders have plenty of areas of need defensively, they also can supplement their young talent in the draft, and have plenty of cap space flexibility right now (over $48.9 million, per Spotrac) and a great window with which to work.
The Raiders have two major in-house priorities they will invest in very soon, namely quarterback Derek Carr and edge rusher Khalil Mack. Both players could wind up being the highest paid players in the NFL on offense and defense whenever they sign new deals.
That’s a great problem for the Raiders to have, but it also means they need to make sure they are smart about their offseason moves in other areas. While Bennett has talked about cashing in this offseason, he’s now tasted the sweetest of victories, and is probably not likely to want to play on a bad team anymore.
More from NFL Mocks
- NFL Draft: Ranking the top signal callers of the 2024 NFL QB Class
- 2024 NFL Mock Draft Journal: Cardinals, Falcons tank for USC QB Caleb Williams
- Patriots News & Rumors: Ezekiel Elliott talks fun in Foxboro; Mills to Packers?
- Fantasy Football: 5 reasons Colts QB Anthony Richardson can be a top-end option
- Packers’ Lukas Van Ness will make a Lambeau leap into the NFL in 2023
Some free agents don’t seem to mind, as long as they go to the highest bidder, but Bennett strikes me as someone who will look at the best option with the most cap space, and that could very well be the Oakland Raiders.
The Raiders may be in a state of transition (potentially) as a franchise, but they are a great destination for free agents because of their young superstars and the fact that they were clearly one of the NFL’s up-and-coming teams this past year.
While Clive Walford is not a bad player, the Raiders could use the veteran leadership of a guy like Bennett, who would make their passing game even more dynamic than it already is. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree are about as good of a duo as you’ll find in the NFL today, and bringing in a player like Bennett would make the Raiders downright scary in the passing game.
Bennett will certainly have options on the open market. Teams will throw a lot of money at him, but there’s a great situation waiting for him with the Raiders.