Reports: Patriots to release LB Ja'Whaun Bentley
Bentley appeared to confirm the reports on social media, writing "New England!! Thank You for Everything!! It's Been a Blessing."
A three-time captain, Bentley played in just two games last season after sustaining a torn left pectoral muscle.
Bentley, 28, recorded triple-digit tackle totals in his previous three seasons with the team.
A Super Bowl champion with New England, Bentley totaled 509 tackles, 10.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 83 career games (68 starts). He was selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft of Purdue.
Bentley was scheduled to earn a $4.35 million base salary this season.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl winner Richie James retires from the NFL at 29
Richie James, a former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver who won the Super Bowl alongside Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes in 2024, has retired. James has been a free agent since that victory in Las Vegas and posted on X late on Friday night that, due to a knee injury, he will never be returning to football. The 29-year-old wrote: 'It took time but i have come to realize i am Retired from the NFL. 7th round out of MTSU. I feel like i was just a ball player to last that long. 'Unfortunately my knee never healed properly. I was playing hurt since 22'. Oh well. I gave everything I got to the game of Football.' As he mentioned in his statement, James was picked in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers after playing college for Middle Tennessee. He was waived in 2021 due to knee surgery after 40 games and 38 receptions for 689 yards and three touchdowns. In 2022, he signed with the New York Giants and recorded 57 receptions for 569 yards, helping the Giants reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016 - they haven't made the postseason since, either. The following year, he was signed to the Chiefs by Andy Reid and played six snaps as Kansas City beat his former team, the 49ers, to record Super Bowl glory.
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Reuters
Fly, Eagles fly: Super Bowl rings feature pop-out wings
July 19 - The Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl LIX championship rings include a hidden button that extends a pair of wings when pressed. The Eagles received their diamond-draped jewelry in a team ceremony on Friday night honoring their 40-22 win against the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. "Our Super Bowl LIX Championship Ring represents the commitment, determination, and sacrifice of every member of our organization who helped deliver another World Championship for Eagles fans everywhere," Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. "From the start of training camp to our celebration on Broad Street, this team was deeply connected on every level. Our players, coaches, and front office staff all worked so tirelessly throughout the season to raise another Lombardi Trophy." In addition to the unique wings feature, the rings include two sayings from head coach Nick Sirianni: "You can't be great without the greatness of others," and the mantra "Tough. Detailed. Together." Forty points of diamonds spell out "World Champions," reflecting the number of points Philadelphia put on the scoreboard to win its second Super Bowl championship. The five diamonds on the special feature button represent the five Eagles players who scored against the Chiefs: Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Cooper DeJean and Jake Elliott. Scores from all of Philadelphia's playoff wins are inscribed inside the ring along with the number 145, representing the record total of postseason points the Eagles tallied. --Field Level Media
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
TJ Watt contract: Winners, losers after Steelers star gets extension
So we thought about it and now present you with the winners and losers from Watt's big bag of loot: WINNERS T.J. Watt But of course. His three-year, $123 million extension makes him the top-paid non-quarterback in league history, in terms of average annual value, for the second time in his career. It also means Watt, 30, will almost certainly finish out his football days with the Steelers, who drafted the eventual four-time All-Pro and 2021 Defensive Player of the Year 30th overall in 2017. Pittsburgh's all-time leader with 108 career sacks, Watt is currently sixth among active players but could vault all the way up to second with one of his typically dominant seasons in 2025. He's certainly got 123 million reasons worth of incentives to do so. Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan The conclusion of negotiations with Watt would seem to mark the end of a wildly successful offseason, one when the Steelers' longtime head coach and recently extended general manager, respectively, practiced patience while fans and some league observers practiced panic. But now Watt has returned to the fold, which he always seemed destined to do, and will soon meet new teammates like QB Aaron Rodgers, who also took his sweet time signing on, WR DK Metcalf, DB Jalen Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith along with the incoming rookie class. Expectations are justifiably growing for a team that hasn't won a playoff game since the 2016 season. Jalen Ramsey The perennial Pro Bowler was acquired (along with Smith) at the end of June in a summertime blockbuster that reshapes the back end of Pittsburgh's defense with S Minkah Fitzpatrick headed back to the Miami Dolphins. It's currently unclear as to how Ramsey might divide his time between covering receivers out wide, manning the slot or even putting in some work at safety with Fitzpatrick out of the picture. What is certain is that Ramsey's best years were spent with the Los Angeles Rams, with whom he won a Super Bowl ring four years ago and was consistently at the top of his game playing behind demonic Aaron Donald, who caused so much havoc for opposing quarterbacks. Watt might not quite be Donald, but his presence is almost certain to benefit Ramsey, whether it means less time required in coverage, more opportunities to go ball hawking or even the ability to freelance more once he's comfortable in his new system and surroundings. Micah Parsons With Watt's contract done, it's almost certainly just a matter of time before the Dallas Cowboys' top defender - and one of the NFL's very best - becomes the next top-paid non-quarterback of all time, whether it's for $41.1 million a year, $44 million or whatever. But Parsons' money is coming, and his boss, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, is probably only too happy to generate that headline in due course now that he basically knows where the target is. (Also, Detroit Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson stands to benefit - at some point - from Watt's newly realized riches, though he might be waiting longer given his rookie deal doesn't expire until after the 2026 season.) LOSERS T.J. Watt Bro, why are you signing this paper now? It's supposed to be in the high 80s, humid and wet when you report to training camp in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, six days from now - where you'll be moving into dorm rooms at Saint Vincent College. And if that's not a darkness retreat ... (Also, if the answer is evading compulsory fines for missing camp, I'd like to introduce you to Michael Strahan. But I digress.) Watt must really be missing his buddies after skipping the Steelers' offseason training program given he could have let this drag out another couple weeks while holding in or even simply remaining at the crib or beach or wherever. In addition, no chance brothers J.J. and Derek are ever picking up another dinner check. They have yet to placate their own holdout pass rusher, All-Pro DE Trey Hendrickson waiting for his financial situation to be resolved. Hendrickson, 30, who has 35 sacks over the past two seasons - 4 1/2 more than Watt over the same period - hasn't necessarily been looking to reset the market. But given he's due to make $16 million in the final year of his deal, it's apparent to him and anyone else outside of Cincinnati that he's (over)due for a raise and isn't merely 39% the player Watt is (when you crunch the salary figures anyway). And given how everything is seemingly falling into place in Pittsburgh - and already was basically set in Baltimore - the Bengals would be doing little more than undercutting their playoff hopes yet again by letting business matters impede their football operation. Pay the man. Myles Garrett Feels like it was just five minutes ago that he became the first non-quarterback to break the $40 million per year contractual barrier. Then he was overtaken by Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase and now Watt, who both play for (better) division rivals of Garrett's Cleveland Browns. And, after explicitly stating he was the league's best defensive player last season after the Browns beat the Steelers in Cleveland - a remark clearly directed at Watt - doesn't it have to irk Garrett just a little bit that he's now the second-best paid defender ... and for a team that's probably going to stink? The Steelers' Week 1 opponents will now be catching the full T.J. Watt Experience as they unveil an offense led by new QB1 (and former Steeler) Justin Fields. And just when the NYJ might have started to hope they'd be catching a guy trying to knock off rust and possibly playing on an opening day pitch count given how negotiations can sometimes drag late into the process with Pittsburgh players ... Aaron Rodgers? The Steelers are Watt's team, and he's been the face of this franchise for a minute ... though maybe you could argue it's actually Tomlin. Regardless, Rodgers will definitely be the story as long as he's amongst the yinzers, and the spotlight is about to be completely re-trained onto the four-time league MVP. No more time spent fretting about Watt's bank account or whereabouts or questions posed to Rodgers about what No. 90 means to the team and how important it is to reward him. Nope, nope, nope. This is now all about No. 8 and what he can do to end Pittsburgh's playoff failures and stabilize a position - temporarily anyway - that has effectively undermined this team since even before Ben Roethlisberger retired in 2022. Have fun with that, Mr. Rodgers! All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
