The Raiders did their best to sign Martellus Bennett in the offseason, but the Pro Bowl tight end ultimately chose Green Bay and the Raiders wound up signing former Packers tight end Jared Cook.
Call it a blessing because Cook leads the Raiders in both receptions (39) and receiving yards (499). Bennett, on the other hand, essentially quit on the Packers and pushed doctors in Green Bay to end his season with shoulder surgery.
Now in New England, Bennett is apparently fine and well, ready to play out the season he so desperately wanted to end – even to the point of questioning the integrity of the Green Bay medical staff.
While it isn’t ideal that the Raiders will face a healthy Bennett next week, the good news is the Raiders will play the game with Cook, who did not quit when things weren’t going well in Oakland.
Not only did Cook not quit when the Raiders record dropped to 2-4, he actually raised his game. Cook posted 209 receiving yards in the first six games of the season, but with the season on the line, Cook has tallied 290 receiving yards in the last three.
Had the Raiders signed Bennett, it’s reasonable to believe he’d have still found his way to the Patriots – and even worse, the Raiders would have missed out on Cook in the process.
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And that’s why Character Counts, boys and girls.
Great signing as usual, Reggie Mac!