Martellus Bennett Rumored to Be Drawing Interest from Patriots, Jaguars, Raiders

Martellus Bennett will be a free agent when the NFL's new league year starts Thursday, and he reportedly won't be short on suitors with a chance to cash in and sign a lucrative long-term deal.

On Saturday, the Boston Globe's Ben Volin reported the Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots are all interested in signing Bennett once he hits the open market.

However, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald noted Tuesday that Mike Garafolo of NFL Network said Bennett wants $9 million per year, but the Patriots won't spend that much.

On Feb. 21, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported it would be "hard" for the Patriots to keep Bennett since his value is trending up, but the defending Super Bowl champions do have nearly $62 million in cap space to spend entering the spring if they want some peace of mind on the roster behind the oft-injured Rob Gronkowski.

Likewise, the Raiders and Jaguars are replete with financial wiggle room in advance of the new league year starting. Specifically, the Jaguars have north of $71 million free, while the Raiders have a shade over $43 million at their disposal.

And considering the Jaguars just dumped Julius Thomas in a deal with the Miami Dolphins, they have a glaring need for a safety blanket who can help elevate the play of quarterback Blake Bortles.

The Raiders, on the other hand, could use a clear No. 1 tight end after they deployed Clive Walford and Mychal Rivera in supplementary roles alongside Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper.

In other words, Bennett—who caught 55 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016—is primed to cash in regardless of where he lands.

All salary-cap figures courtesy of OverTheCap.com.