Michael Bennett Free Agency: Will Bennett allow Buccaneers to match any offers?

There's a simple truth to free agency: the best offer often wins. But there's also another truth to the marketplace: competition can drive down prices, or it can drive up prices. Free agents hitting the market may find that they're not as desirable as they thought they were, or they may find that a lot of teams are driving up the price to sign them through competition. By the looks of it, Michael Bennett is hoping for the latter.

More: Bucs will sign two cornerbacks | Falcons cut everyone

That may not bode well for the Buccaneers, who should make it a priority to re-sign the defensive end. But they have an option to keep Bennett: they can simply outbid the best offer he receives. And it appears that that is exactly what Bennett will allow the Buccaneers to do.

@fredthegur Supposedly Bennett has a gentleman's agreement that he'll allow the Bucs to match any offers. ATL would have to offer big.

— NFL Philosophy (@NFLosophy) March 2, 2013

This from NFL Philosophy, a Twitter account run by someone who claims to have worked in operations in the NFL, and is at the very least very knowledgable about the game. If true, this would basically guarantee Bennett's presence in a Buccaneer uniform next year, unless a team really wants to break the bank to sign him.

You can follow us on Twitter (@Bucs_Nation) and like us on Facebook.