GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Martellus Bennett experience lasted all of seven games. Lance Kendricks couldn’t replicate what he accomplished with the Rams. Richard Rodgers never developed after his Hail Mary moment. Emanuel Byrd played in one game after his practice-squad promotion.
So new general manager Brian Gutekunst is no doubt on the lookout for the Green Bay Packers' next playmaking tight end, among all the other needs he inherited when he took over for Ted Thompson last month.
At this time a year ago, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Packers would re-sign Jared Cook to a multiyear deal and Thompson would be able to move on to other areas of concern. When negotiations broke down, the Packers mistakenly thought they could meld a character like Bennett into a locker room largely devoid of big personalities.
That combination of miscues has thrust tight end back into the conversation as free agency approaches next month.
Coach Mike McCarthy can make a strong case that his offense operates best with a receiving threat at tight end, à la Cook in 2016 and Jermichael Finley from 2009 until his career-ending neck injury in 2013, when he was Aaron Rodgers' No. 1 tight end.
In Cook, the Packers finally found a replacement for Finley, yet it shockingly turned into only a one-year partnership. Those inside Lambeau Field say Cook overplayed his hand, while those on the other side claim Thompson and his contract negotiator, Russ Ball, botched the talks.
Both Rodgers and McCarthy have talked regularly about the importance of a pass-catching tight end. Rodgers loved his one season with Cook, grew to appreciate the enigmatic Finley and was willing to try to make it work with Bennett.
Bennett’s reputation as a difficult -- and at times distracting -- personality played out exactly that way. At the bye week, shortly after Rodgers broke his collarbone, Bennett made a social media post in which he talked about retirement. He then returned from the week off complaining of a shoulder injury.
He tried to smear Packers physician Dr. Pat McKenzie, only to see it blow up in his face when player after player defended the team’s longtime doctor. Bennett claimed McKenzie forced him to play despite an injury that needed surgery. The Packers released the 30-year-old with the designation that he failed to disclose a medical condition. When the Patriots claimed him off waivers, Bennett played two more games for New England, leaving many in Green Bay to believe that he wasn’t willing to play hurt without Rodgers but would for Tom Brady.
It all added up to a dismal season for the position group, which ranked 25th in the NFL in both catches and yards among all teams' tight ends and had more dropped passes than all but four teams’ tight ends, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
It wasn’t what anyone had in mind when the Packers signed Bennett to a three-year, $21 million deal last March and the next day added Kendricks on a two-year, $4 million deal.
Kendricks, who was coming off a 50-catch season with the Rams in 2016, managed just 18 for 203 yards and one touchdown for the Packers. Meanwhile, Richard Rodgers, best known for catching the Hail Mary touchdown against the Lions in 2015, caught just 12 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown in the final year of his contract.
Kendricks might be worth keeping for the second year of his deal, while Rodgers could be had on the cheap, and Byrd looks like a developmental prospect. None of them, however, is a No. 1 tight end.
The onus is on Gutekunst to upgrade the position without compromising the plan to restock the defensive roster. Surely, the first-time GM saw in the Super Bowl how important the tight ends were to each offense -- Zach Ertz to the Eagles and Rob Gronkowski to the Patriots. Perhaps that could push Gutekunst into the free-agent market. Among those who could be available include Seattle’s Jimmy Graham, Cincinnati’s Tyler Eifert, Tampa Bay’s Cameron Brate and even Ertz’s backup, Trey Burton.