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Packers release tight end Martellus Bennett

Any teams in playoff contention want a tough, good tight end? You can get one.

The Green Bay Packers have cut veteran Martellus Bennett with the failure to disclose a medical condition designation.

It’s unclear what that condition is, and why now became the time for the Packers to release Bennett. Did they find out about it only recently? Did an injury happen recently?

Green Bay had already decided that Bennett would not be playing Sunday against Chicago because of a shoulder injury.

A Packer no more: Green Bay released tight end Martellus Bennett on Wednesday. (AP)
A Packer no more: Green Bay released tight end Martellus Bennett on Wednesday. (AP)

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted that by cutting Bennett with the “failure to disclose” designation, Green Bay may try to void Bennett’s contract and go after all of the money the team has paid him.

Green Bay, which rarely signs high-priced free agents, made an exception for Bennett, signing him to a three-year, $21 million deal earlier this year. Last year, in his only season with the New England Patriots, Bennett had 55 catches for 701 yards and seven touchdowns. He parlayed the performance, which helped secure a Super Bowl ring, into a tidy free-agent contract.

In seven games with Green Bay, all as a starter, Bennett had 24 catches for 233 yards. He did not record a touchdown.

Earlier this month, Bennett posted a statement on Instagram saying that after conversations with his family, he was “pretty sure” this season would be his last in the NFL. But a Wednesday evening check of Bennett’s Instagram page shows that the post has apparently been taken down.

The speculation about where Bennett might end up has of course already started, with a trip back to New England the hottest rumored destination.