Martellus Bennett Appears to Announce NFL Retirement After 10 Seasons

Longtime NFL tight end Martellus Bennett appeared to announce his retirement from the league Friday following a 10-year career.

Bennett, who hinted at his intention to retire via an Instagram post in October, was involved in one of the 2017 NFL season's most bizarre stories.

The Green Bay Packers, who signed him last March, waived him in November for his failure to disclose a medical condition. The 31-year-old tight end responded by saying the Packers knew about his shoulder injury and released him because he elected to get surgery.

"The Packers examined my shoulder on my visit March 10 and cleared it," he wrote on Instagram. "They even gave me an X-ray as well. It got worse during the season, specifically against the [Dallas] Cowboys, so I asked to have it checked out, and we checked it. After a few days of contemplating to play with it or get surgery, I chose surgery. Now here we are."

Yet after the New England Patriots claimed him off waivers, Bennett reversed course and attempted to play through the injury. He made six catches for 53 yards across two games before landing on injured reserve.

In late November, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reported the Packers filed paperwork in an effort to reclaim some of the $6.3 million signing bonus they gave the Texas A&M product.

Bennett enjoyed a solid decade-long career at the pro level that also featured stops with the Dallas Cowboys, who selected him in the second round of the 2008 draft, New York Giants and Chicago Bears before his two stints with the Pats and his short stay in Green Bay.

The San Diego native caught 433 passes for 4,573 yards and 30 touchdowns in 144 regular-season appearances. He added 14 grabs for 125 yards in five playoff games.

Bennett earned his lone Pro Bowl selection with the Bears in 2014 and won a Super Bowl title with the Patriots last year.