While the group of free agents at wide receiver is deep in proven talent, the tight end position is the polar opposite. With a weak class of mostly journeyman players, this group of free agents will be defined by Martellus Bennett’s aim to earn compensation for his Super Bowl winning performance with the New England Patriots and not much else.
Beyond Bennett, names such as Jack Doyle, Vernon Davis, and Jacob Tamme are the next best options in an unspectacular offseason for teams who want to make improvements at tight end. With little chance of a home run at tight end, this preview focuses on a lackluster crop of players that will be available for general managers to go bargain hunting if they fail to convince Bennett to come to their town:
Martellus Bennett
Martellus Bennett had what will likely be the peak of his career regarding team success less than a month ago when he filled in for Rob Gronkowski in the New England Patriots dramatic Super Bowl triumph that included the greatest comeback of all-time to beat the Atlanta Falcons. With Gronk hurt for the majority of the season and the entirety of the postseason, Bennett’s veteran presence was crucial for the Pats run and Tom Brady’s fifth Super Bowl ring.
That's just ridiculous, @MartysaurusRex… 💪#SEAvsNE pic.twitter.com/uJoZCSAl6r
— NFL (@NFL) November 14, 2016
After that magical season with the Patriots, Bennett will now have the chance to earn his reward for a one-year stint with the Pats where he played at a discount for the chance to make a run at a Super Bowl and increase his future free agency value. Bennett has already turned down a $7 million per season contract from the Patriots according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, which provides a glimpse at the potential payday that he could demand from any other potential suitor.
With Bennett’s legendary “teams overpay Super Bowl champions” quote, expect the tight end who had seven touchdowns in the regular season last year to surpass Gronk’s $9 million per year deal to become one of the richest tight ends in the league. Quite the turnaround for Bennett, an always dangerous tight end that earned a bad reputation and destroyed his value with a woeful contract year in 2015 with the Bears. Teams shouldn’t be concerned for a dip in production as Bennett has 30 career touchdowns, but that price tag will make him a risky addition. Expect Bennett to move to a different contender that needs a tight end and has the cap space to acquire a $10 million player at the position.
Jack Doyle
It might be a shock to see Jack Doyle amongst the top free agent names at tight end based on the bulk of his unspectacular career with the Indianapolis. However, in a weak market, the breakout year Doyle had in 2016 makes him a top name by default this March. Good news for Doyle, but perhaps bad news for teams that are in need of an upgrade at tight end and will have to take a risk on a player with 793 receiving yards over four NFL seasons.
MR. RELIABLE!!!!!!!
TOUCHDOWN JACK DOYLE pic.twitter.com/IePYZ9Tobk
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) January 1, 2017
Nearly the entirety of Doyle’s career production comes from his contract year, where he filled Coby Fleener’s role as Andrew Luck’s tight end target capably. 59 catches and five touchdowns turned Doyle from a red zone specialist who rarely earned attention to a household name in Indianapolis who was Luck’s preferred redzone option. Now, the Colts and the rest of the league need to extrapolate Doyle’s 2016 and determine if he can replicate that production on a consistent basis to fill a role as a primary tight end with redzone upside.
Unlike Bennett, Doyle probably won’t command a big payday even if he is coming off one of the best seasons out of the free agent class at tight end. Instead, expect Doyle to likely sign a shorter term deal that will allow teams to evaluate whether or not he can consistently provide the type of performances he gave the Colts last season. That scenario seems to be the best situation for both the player as well as NFL teams because nobody will know if Doyle is a one season wonder or not until he plays a second season in a starting role.
The Rest
Normally there would be a third high-profile tight end to evaluate in-depth for this preview, but the tight end position is weak to the point where the bulk of a talent pool filled with journeyman players. Names such as Gavin Escobar, Jared Cook, Jacob Tamme, Larry Donnell and Mychal Rivera are players with the experience to fill a role and not much else.
Jacob Tamme falling down one-handed catch. Wow.
[this actually happened.] #NOvsATL https://t.co/LtlXzlrHqv
— NFL (@NFL) January 3, 2016
Vernon Davis is a high profile name based on his success with the San Francisco 49ers, but after three seasons of regression, it is hard to get excited over his availability. In general, this poor tight end class will be an afterthought and teams will be motivated to look for prospects with higher upside through the draft as a result. Outside of Bennett, there won’t be much of a chance to upgrade at the position through free agency. The list of role players is high, and many of these players will have the goal of simply continuing to have a part in a gameplan in 2017 instead of dreaming of big free agency paydays.
