Getty ImagesESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Giants have come to terms with tight end Martellus Bennett, formerly of the division-rival Cowboys.
Per Schefter, the deal for one year and is worth $2.5 million.
Though he’s already been in the league for four seasons, Bennett is still only 25 years old. He learned to block as the No. 2 tight end in Dallas, and offers plenty of untapped potential as a pass catcher.
The Bennett signing bolsters a very weak position in New York. The Giants lost Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard to torn ACLs in Super Bowl XLVI.
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Great Deal!!!
Lazy in Dallas, let’s see how he does in NY
That’s a very good deal for the Giants. Not a lot of money, lots of potential with that player.
I am intrigued by this move and look forward to what Martellus brings to the table. Cowboys fans, tell us what to expect?
Great move! He’ll have an immediate impact.
Looks like a “Prove it” deal. I’m not sure that Bennett can prove it but this deal makes sense.
thought Boss would go back to the Giants
Solid signing. Super low risk, fits a need.
There goes Dallas Clark, too bad
We don’t rebuild, we simply reload and go win another Superbowl. In Reese we trust!
so in a sense, the cowboys groomed him for the giants…
Cowboys fan here, don’t expect much at all. He’s a backup/blocking tight end which is exactly what 1 year $2.5 suggests.
I am intrigued by this move and look forward to what Martellus brings to the table. Cowboys fans, tell us what to expect?
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Immature, poor route runner and even worse hands, hell of a blocker though.
A “prove it” deal requires a team option to pick up additional years. Under this type of deal if he has a huge year they’re going to have to compete for him again next year at a higher price. They are using him as a stop gap.
thats a pick-up that weakens BOTH teams.
Only a complete homer would say that Dallas didn’t give him a chance and used him only as a blocker. He was drafted because of his skills in the passing game.
He was supposed to be the jump ball freak in the red zone and I cannot think of a single jump ball that he pulled down.
This guy is the biggest waste of talent in the league. He has never been a “go-getter” from the time he was at A&M to the time he was drafted. he was hurt every week. He was a bust with the fade in the endzone throw and yards after the catch. Unlike the last Cowboy who defected to become a Giant this will not work out. (CHRIS CANTY)
THANK you Giants!!
Now how hard was that? When you sign a reserve TE, you give him a reasonable contract. Which brings us to John Carlson….
Gives you mediocre play sprinkled with some flashes and bonehead mistakes. Giants can have ‘em.
Geez for 2.5 mil I’ll come be lazy and complain that im not getting the ball and when I do drop it when im trying…oops did I say trying hahaha to get critical first down!!!
at the VERY least, the giants got an exceptional blocker at the TE position who should definatley help improve the giants lousy running game from a year ago.
being that the giants are a team that still pretty much employs the TE in the traditional sense, block first, it seems like a decent move. if he can add 35-40 receptions on top of the above average blocking, i’ll be thrilled.
Untapped potential as a pass catcher? That is a joke! He’ll block like a champ though.
Great deal, low cost, high reward and with Beckum and Ballard out for extended periods, makes it an even better deal.
Never seemed to get anywhere near his potential with the Cowboys. I hope he’s better fot the Giants
Can’t wait to see Jerry Jones’ face in the press box when Bennett catches a TD against the “Boys.
Martellus sucks ive seen him play as a cowboys fan he thinks hes intitled to something… just picture randy moss but lazier with so much much less potential.
Plus if he breaks out … they could franchise him for about $5MM next year.
On a side note, am I the only one who’s banner ads on this site show all sorts of hot chicks allegedly living exactly 3.5 miles from my house? (I had no idea I lived at the corner of Poon & Tang)
He left Dallas for that?
definetly a prove it deal the guy has loads of potential but he’s lazy we’ll see what he does in NY
He talks about becoming a great TE. Not good that the other TE’s on the Cowboys not named Jason Witten were on the field more than he was.
From a Cowboy fan perspective, this guy dropped A LOT of balls and blew a lot of plays..He spent more time blogging and working on his internet game. Actually I think he posted a pic of his genitals at one time, which should show his intelligence…None the less he is young and is a decent blocker..Who knows he might grow up in NY and I wish him well..but I personally feel he will be to overloaded with the NY lifestyle and probably blow this oportunity.
Best thing from this is we Cowboy fans no longer have to see his stupid blogging updates in the Cowboys STAR magazine
To ygkr85:
Decent blocker; bad hands; rep as a lazy guy. Tons of potential coming in but never lived up to it. That’s why he’s gone after 4 years.
I like this a lot better than Carlson at $5M/Per
It is just me or do these contracts seem all over the place?
Bennett isn’t the greatest player in the NFL, but is John Carlson really worth that much more than him? Carlson got 5 years, $25 million with $11 million guaranteed versus Bennett’s one year – $2.5 million.
Then you have Reggie Wayne getting $17 million over 3 years while the guy who couldn’t carry his jockstrap in Indy (Garcon) gets 5 years, $42 million with $21 million guaranteed?? I understand age is a factor, but not that big of a factor.
And then the Bucs sign Eric Wright (who?) to 5 years, $38 million.
The NFL is starting to remind me of the NBA with these monster contracts to average players.
have fun with an underachiever giants fans. Although y’all will probably get more out of him than we ever did. At least you have competency in your front office.
“Cowboys fans, tell us what to expect?”
Plenty of entertainment, vulgar videos, rap records,lots of youtube stuff, maybe a clothing line.
Oh, you mean football stuff? Not so much.
Now he’s NY’s headache. Good luck with butterfingers!
Giants fan,
You can expect to see someone with ridiculos measurables, freakish athleticism, and the football IQ of a 6yr old playing his first season of Pop Warner. The guy should be a stud but he’s a freaking mystery. He never learned a thing from Whitten, couldn’t get on the same page with Romo, and when given chances, either didn’t know which routes to run or dropped key passes. He really never made any plays in college either…for all his supposed “talent”. Congrats, NY! You paid $2.5M for a TE who’s regarded for his blocking ability. Welcome to Planet Marty B. Enjoy the ride.
He’ll have an immediate negative impact. Poor work ethic but a good blocker.
High on potential, low on talent.
this will probably be the giants biggest FA signing. hopefully they still sign a decent running back, resign goff or another decent MLB, secure their backup qb….carr or whoever, and possibly sign one depth guy to the o-line…..then its on to the draft.
Worse comes to worse, he doesn’t need to be a full season star. Just long enough till Ballard gets back.
He would be awesome if he could catch.
Good riddance. Every Cowboy fan knew he was the third string, even with John Phillips on IR. He has some talent, but he’s lazy in the pass catching dept. Decent blocker. Don’t get your hopes up, Giants fans. You should be praying for Beckham and Ballard to heal quickly before putting any faith in the self proclaimed “marty b”.
Love it. We’re getting a young, experienced vet that was totally underutilized in Dallas at the same price it would have cost us to pay an unknown draft pick. Guaranteed he’ll have better stats than Carlson. At $23M less, watch and learn other GMs, this is how you build a perennial contender.
All of you people pointing out all of his flaws and saying the Giants made a big mistake:
You did see the details of the contract, right?
One year, $2.5m? That’s about as risk free as it gets.
And maybe Drill Sergeant Coughlin will be able to wring a little more out of him than the Cowboys were with their inmates running the asylum form of player management.
WARNING G-men. I’m a Cowboy fan and an Aggie and have been waiting for this guy to break out for years….and it hasnt happened. This guy has great potential but thats all he’s got. No work ethic to better his craft and he cant catch the football in the clutch. Romo banged it off his hands so many times….but thats probably Romo’s fault since everything is always Romo’s fault.
Looks like Bennett is gonna have his chance to prove he can be a starting tight end in the nfl. He’s got a qb, receivers to open the middle of the field up for him, a running game (hopefully) and all his competition for the starting gig so far is rehabbing serious knee injuries, if he plays up to his potential then he could be just like Jermichael Finley
Honestly, at 1 year and $2.5 even if the guy doesn’t catch a lot who cares? That’s a great deal for a blocking TE. Giants can still take one of the TEs in the first round of the draft or bring back Boss.
To all the Dallas fans ripping this deal -
1) 2.5 M and 1 year is about as low risk as you get.
2) We don’t need even need him for the whole year. Just until Ballard heals.
3) TE in the Giants system is more a blocker than a pass catcher. That’s why no one drafts a Giants TE in fantasy football as anything but an emergency backup.
4) No offense to Garrett or Romo, because I think they both get unfair blame, but if he acts up on a two time winning Super Bowl coach and a two time Super Bowl MVP QB, he will be cut before he has a chance to say, “But, coach…”.
Cowboys fan who has met Bennett; He is an overgrown child who doesn’t take all his god given abilities serious.
However, If anyone can get through to him it’s Coughlin. Good Luck!
Might as well have signed Thing from Fantastic Four to catch balls for u.
Bennett underachieving in Dallas could be a function of him knowing he was never going to be the #1 guy over Witten. The Giants have Bear Pascoe, also a blocker who can play both TE and FB… Bennett knows he can be the #1 TE receiver in New York this season if he puts in the work. And if he shines, he can get a big(ger) contract for 2013 with the Giants (making Ballard and/or Beckum expendable) or with another team who needs a #1 TE.
This is a smart move for low money by Reese.
Good riddance. Bennett SUCKS.
I think the last time the Giants took on a young, freakishly athletic raw talent who had not yet proven himself (Jason Pierre-Paul for those of you playing at home) it worked out pretty well. He will be the starter on the Giants and to be honest the middle of the field should be wide open for him. With Cruz and Nicks on the outside, this guy is going to get covered one on one all day. For the price we are paying for this guy, I’ll take my chances.
As a Cowboy fan I loved Marty B his rookie year. I thought he would tear it up. Then we never really lived up to his potential. I know he was playing behind Witten, but Hernandez on the Patriots played better behind the Gronk.
Still, I think he will do very well on the Giants. And really, kind of scared that he will dish out some revenge on the Boys :S
Bennett was given ample opportunities to prove himself as #2 TE and he couldn’t do it. Good luck with the Giants
@unitedstateof texas
“High on potential, low on talent” ?!?!?!?
whats that mean?
THIS IS A GREAT MOVE BY THE GIANTS. THIS GUY has loads of talent and potential. He was never truly given a chance in Dallas bc tony romo and his boytoy witten. the got him on the cheap with a prove it contract. and i am sure he will. he’s going to end up being the best te they have since bavaro!!! stamp it!
and the best part is you fools in dallas get to see it twice a year!
he’s to Martellus Bennett burning YINZ (ya’ll im from pittsburgh!)
Marty B TV to NYC where it’ll be cancelled in 2 weeks.
Martellus, you’re on the defending champs’ roster now. You’re not stuck behind Romo’s boyfriend or playing under Wade Phillips, a lot is going to be expected of you. Time to step up or shut up.
Oh. And thanks Dallas for helping us subsidize this bargain basement contract.
I’m not saying this is going to happen but *fingers crossed* that he’s our reverse Visanthe Shiancoe. Shiancoe played behind Shockey and the Giants essentially groomed him for the Vikings.
Maybe the Giants will catch a break and he’ll be an upgrade over Ballard.
At the very least he’ll improve the blocking (like many have already said).
It’s a great deal for the money and low risk because you know he’ll block.
What it REALLY means is that we, A, need to adjust our playbook (we won’t, because Garrett isn’t cerebral enough). B, I don’t know if we thought of at least running the price up.
Five min into free agency and he signs with the Giants. The freakin GIANTS!!! Come on! That’s suspect. Real suspect.
Oh, and worry about him the WEEK AFTER playing the Cowboys. He’ll try to show off against Dallas. Then there’s the OTHER 14 games.
It like it that it gives the G-men an advantage over the cowgirls!!! Go Steelers!!!
Giants must not need a pass catching te. I’m glad to see him gone. Couldn’t count on him when needed.
bigd4defense says: Mar 14, 2012 4:01 PM
THANK you Giants!!
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He was a free agent there sport, so uh, if we didn’t sign him he still wasn’t gonna be on your roster.
In the spirit of bring friendly, you’re welcome I guess?
If Martellus wasn’t so lazy and short-sighted he would have seen that the league now uses 2 TEs and 2 RBs now. He was given opportunities to catch but he would not put in the work. He was too busy making rap videos instead of studying the playbook. This is a show us deal from the Giants.