Former three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Bennett retires at age 34

Michael Bennett of Independence, Louisiana, one of the best defensive players in the National Football League over the last decade, announced his retirement at the age of 34 on Tuesday, according to Kevin Patra of nfl.com. Bennett played 156 regular season games from 2009 to 2019 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, and New England Patriots.

In 11 NFL seasons, Bennett had six pass deflections, 13 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries for 39 yards and one touchdown, 69.5 sacks, 359 combined tackles (259 solo tackles and 100 assisted tackles), 132 tackles for a loss and 193 quarterback hits. Bennett’s lone touchdown came on December 2, 2013, in a 34-7 Seahawks win over the New Orleans Saints. Bennett had a 22-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Bennett, who was nicknamed Black Santa, was selected to the Pro Bowl three consecutive years from 2015 to 2017 while with Seattle. He also won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks in 2014. In Super Bowl XLVIII, Bennett had two tackles (one solo and one assisted), as the Seahawks trounced the Denver Broncos 43-8. In 12  career playoff games, Bennett had four pass deflections, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries for 17 yards, 4.5 sacks, 43 combined tackles (29 solo tackles and 14 assisted tackles), 12 quarterback hits, and 10 tackles for a loss.

This past season, Bennett shared his time with the Cowboys and Patriots. He was with Dallas for nine games and New England for six games. He was traded from New England to Dallas on October 24 for a sixth-round draft pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. In 15 games in his final NFL season, Bennett had 6.5 sacks, 32 combined tackles (24 solo tackles and eight assisted tackles), 15 quarterback hits, and 14 tackles for a loss.