Aug 27, 2011 Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Michael Bennett (71) celebrates after sacking Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne (not pictured) during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Soon-to-be free agent defensive end Michael Bennett said that he is “not sure” if the door is closed on his possible return to the Buccaneers during a recent interview with Justin Pawlowski and Gary Shelton on 98.7 WFAN. Though he did say that he would “give the Bucs [a] chance to match any offer.”  The team’s sack leader in 2012 (9) claimed that he would like to remain with the Bucs, the team where he began his career after being cut by Seattle.

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive line coach Keith Millard Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Bennett claimed that there were upwards of eight teams involved in attaining the second-year starter’s services, but declined to name them.  However, Pawlowski was quick to bring up his ties to former Bucs defensive line coach Keith Millard, who is currently a defensive assistant/pass rush specialist with the Tennessee Titans.

“Keith does a great job of getting the best out of you. I would love any opportunity to be coached by Keith. He is the one who helped me […] reach my potential.” The relationship between this particular player and coach is so strong that Millard actually watched tape of Bennett during the 2012 season and provided a bit of coaching from a distance, according to Bennett. “He is one of my closest friends.”

Bennett dispelled any notion that he would be willing to take a pay cut in exchange for an opportunity to play with his brother, tight end Martellus Bennett. Laughing at the thought, in fact. He said it is a topic that his parents discuss daily and that it would be a dream come true, but Bennett made it clear that he is looking for the highest bidder.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk went as far as to say that the Bucs had no chance of resigning Bennett, “A source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that Bennett will not give the Bucs a chance to match. Per the source, Bennett misspoke.”

To say he misspoke is a half-truth. When Bennett stuck to the script, he said all the right things regarding the Buccaneers, “This year I think [the Bucs] will be better with another year under the defense. Coach Schiano is going to push everybody to do more and understand the defense even better.” He pointed to the combination of losing Adrian Clayborn to a knee injury in week three, relying on young cornerbacks and adjusting to a new defensive scheme as the reasons the Bucs defense was unable to reach their potential last season.

But when posed questions, he was more candid. Bennett admitted that he is facing an up-hill battle to fend off Da’Quan Bowers, whom the Bucs spent a second round pick on in 2011. “I [am] a guy who wasn’t drafted in the organization…every job has politics. They like who they like and if they want me to be around, they [will] make sure that I’m around. They have enough cap room.”

It is clear that a “perfect world” scenario would be necessary for Michael Bennett to remain in Tampa Bay, but don’t forget “It’s a Buc’s Life.“

Mandatory Credit: Josh D. Weiss-USA TODAY Sports

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times has reported that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not re-sign Michael Bennett this offseason. They are already aware of his value to other teams, and do not believe the price tag they wish to pay meets what Bennett would need based on the league-wide interest in the defensive end. It had previously been rumored that Bennett would allow the Buccaneers the opportunity to match any deals he’s offered, but the gulf between Bennett’s value to other teams and his value to Tampa Bay is apparently quite large.

So what’s the plan going forward? The coaching staff and front office have both made it known that Da’Quan Bowers is the future of the franchise at defensive end, and despite his current uncertain legal situation thanks to previously reported gun charges, he’s already penciled in as the starter at defensive end across from Adrian Clayborn. The Buccaneers will likely need another defensive end in the mix, as Daniel Te’o-Nesheim and Aaron Morgan are fine as depth players but shouldn’t be relied upon for any large amount of productive snaps.

Pro Football Talk has reported that it might be former Falcon defensive end John Abraham. One of the best pass rushers of this generation, Abraham is getting old and a bit frail, but could still provide some pass rush ability that no one else in the Bucs locker room can bring to the field. Abraham had 10 sacks and 38 hurries in 463 pass rushing opportunities in 2012, as charted by Pro Football Focus. He also knocked down 7 passes at the line of scrimmage. Compare these numbers to Bennett, who in 600 pass rushing opportunities, had 9 sacks and 48 hurries, with 2 passes batted down. If you compare the statistics on a per-snap basis, Abraham leaves Bennett in the dust.

The Buccaneers were interested in bringing in Abraham when he was last on the open market, so it’s no surprise they’re in touch with him again. Hopefully his visits to Tampa as a Falcon have been a nice tour of the facilities and area, and his familiarity with the team and the division serves as an advantage over other interested teams.

Pro Football Talk reports that the Saints are also interested in Abraham, so it gives extra incentive for the Buccaneers to offer a decent contract to Abraham to take him from the Falcons and keep him away from the Saints, swinging the balance of pass rush power in the NFC South in the process.

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the 2013 offseason, one of the major story lines to follow in Tampa Bay was the future of defensive end Michael Bennett. The Buccaneers would obviously love to keep the defensive end around, considering that he was coming off his best season of his career, and showed signs of being an above average defensive end in the NFL. The concern for Buccaneer fans was the amount it would cost to re-sign the Texas A&M product, as across the Internet numbers from 6 million up to 12 million dollars per year were being tossed around. Today we learned more as it relates to the Buccaneers valuation of the four year veteran defender.

Mark Dominik told reporters that he would not be using any type of tag on Bennett. This means the franchise tag, which would force the Buccaneers to pay Michael 11 million dollars, or the transition tag, which would translate to a 9 million dollar pricetag, are both out of the question for the defensive end. What this means is that the Buccaneers do not value Bennett highly enough to spend that much cap space on him, and would likely need a more cap friendly deal to bring Bennett back to Tampa Bay in 2013. The Bucs will have talks with Bennett before he hits the open market, but it appears that Mark Dominik is content with Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers at defensive end.

Or is he? Dominik could be doing his best to drive down the price of Bennett by publicly stating that he would prefer to move forward with a defensive end coming off a season ending injury, and another end currently caught up in a legal battle over felony gun charges. If it works, and the Buccaneers are able to bring Bennett back at a more reasonable price, it would be a great move for Tampa Bay. But I believe that Mark Dominik truly is hesitant to offer a huge contract to a player who only stepped into a starring role in 2012, and comes with no other proof of being worth top 10 money as a defensive end. Remember that this is the same Michael Bennett who was waived by the Seahawks after going undrafted, and will be turning 28 this season. Compare him to Kamerion Wimbley, who had a much more productive history as a defensive end before hitting free agency in 2012. He signed with Tennessee with a 5 year deal for 35 million dollars, including a decent signing bonus and front-loaded guarantees giving the Titans flexibility to let him go at the end of the deal if he doesn’t stack up at an older age.

I believe it is a wise decision to avoid franchise tagging Bennett. He was a contributor to a very strong run defense in 2012, and was the main pass rush option, but he’s not proven enough to command a huge paycheck that could hamstring the Buccaneers if Bennett turns out to be a one year wonder. The Bucs are in a rebuilding process, and Mark Dominik has to be smart about the money he spends. And if Michael Bennett is going to command 8 or 10 million dollars per year, I am sure he would be more inclined to sign or draft a more affordable option, and hope the legal system shows mercy to Da’Quan Bowers.