Patriots place Martellus Bennett on season-ending IR

The New England Patriots have placed tight end Martellus Bennett on injured reserve with a shoulder injury less than three weeks after claiming him off waivers from the Green Bay Packers, the team announced Monday.

Bennett played just two games in his return to the Patriots this season before sitting out last Sunday's contest against the Miami Dolphins.

While Bennett was officially listed with a shoulder injury, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that a hamstring issue also heavily contributed to his IR designation.

Before being released by the Packers, Bennett had posted via social media that this would likely be his last season in the NFL and that he had planned to play out the remainder of the season. He was released by the Packers with a "failure to disclose a medical condition" designation that Bennett disputed, saying Green Bay knew of his shoulder injury and that its team doctor pressured him to play through it. Several Packers players spoke up in defense of their team doctor.

If this is Bennett's final season in the NFL, he will retire with 430 receptions for 4,558 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was also voted to the Pro Bowl in 2014 and won Super Bowl LI with the Patriots.

The Patriots also placed special teams ace Nate Ebner on injured reserve with a knee injury.