Patriots re-work Michael Bennett's contract

John Jones | Icon Sportswire

Michael Bennett got what he wanted.

Before being traded to the New England Patriots in March, the defensive end had mentioned that he understood the Philadelphia Eagles might trade him due to financial considerations.

“I’m not willing to take a pay cut,” Bennett said in an interview with NFL Network. “I actually want a pay raise at this point, and so whatever happens, just to know that whatever team I go to, I want to get paid more than I get paid right now.”

As reported by ESPN’s Field Yates and Mike Reiss, the Patriots have reworked the final two years of Bennett’s contract.

Instead of a base value of $15.7 million, he will now make $16.75 million. The new contract includes a $4 million signing bonus, with Bennett receiving a base salary of $3 million for 2019 with $1.5 million in per-game roster bonuses, and a base salary of $7 million in 2020 with $1.25 million in per-game roster bonuses.

The move frees up about $700,000 in salary-cap space for the Patriots for 2019, giving them about $18 million overall.

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