Just before the Patriots executed a trade to acquire Michael Bennett from the Philadelphia Eagles last month, the veteran defensive end told NFL Network that he was looking for a raise. While it was quite modest, Bennett did indeed receive a bump in pay.
According to ESPN, the team reworked Bennett's remaining two years of his contract, giving the veteran a $4 million signing bonus while upping his potential earnings from $15.7 million to $16.75 million.
In essence, Bennett got part of his 2019 salary guaranteed with the bonus, which allowed the Patriots to spread out the cap hit slightly, which gives New England about $700,000 in additional space.
Bennett was acquired last month from the Eagles along with a seventh-round pick in exchange for a fifth-rounder. He figures to be a huge part of the defensive line in 2019 with the departure of Trey Flowers leaving a void up front. Last year in Philly Bennett had 34 tackles and nine sacks in 16 games.
