Before Aaron Hernandez was a convicted murderer, he was a dynamic tight end who perfectly fit the Patriots’ offensive game plan.
Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski were the most feared tight-end duo in the NFL, helping carry the Patriots to Super Bowl XLVI — where a Gronkowski ankle injury helped the Giants prevail for the second time over New England. A season later, Hernandez — currently serving a life sentence in prison in Massachusetts without possibility of parole — played his last snap.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick has tried and failed to find the right new partner for Gronkowski, going through Michael Hoomanawanui, Tim Wright and Scott Chandler.
But on Wednesday, he may have finally found the perfect complement, trading for the Bears’ Martellus Bennett, who had fallen out of favor with the John Fox regime in Chicago. Bennett’s talent is not in question, but his attitude is, which is why the Patriots only had to give up a fourth-round pick — while getting back a sixth-rounder — for the hulking, 6-foot-6 273-pounder.
Bennett was a Pro Bowler in 2014, when he had 90 catches for 916 yards and six touchdowns, but then held out of mini-camp in 2015 over contract concerns. According to the Chicago Tribune, he caused problems at practice when his role in the offense diminished and backup Zach Miller got more involved.
The Bears re-signed Miller earlier in the week, making the Bennett trade an inevitability. And for now, Bennett seems happy with his new situation.
