A report earlier this week noted that the Philadelphia Eagles were shopping star defensive end Michael Bennett. On the surface, this really didn’t make much sense.
The three-time Pro Bowler recorded a whopping 30 quarterback hits, 15 tackles for loss and nine sacks in his first season with Philadelphia. He remains one of the most-consistent pass rushers in the game.
Bennett, 33, is also set to count $7.2 million against the cap in 2019. Given the Eagles’ cap situation, they might not be able to pay that out. Hence, the trade rumors.
In an interview on NFL Network Friday morning, Bennett not only indicated he’s unwilling to to a pay cut, he wants a raise from his 2019 salary.
“But I’m not willing to take a pay cut. 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,” Bennett said.
That’s really no surprise. Bennett’s production is not indicative of someone set to earn a $6.2 million base salary this coming season.
For their part, the Eagles are just $20.36 million under the cap with multiple core free agents to retain.
Given Bennett’s production and salary, there’s a good chance Philadelphia could trade him for draft assets. Though, it’s now highly unlikely that he’ll be back with the Eagles.