Packers release Martellus Bennett

Is this the end of the dynamic tight end’s NFL career?

Brett Hundley will have one fewer weapon to turn to in his struggle to get the Packers back to the playoffs. On Wednesday, Green Bay released veteran tight end Martellus Bennett.

He was cut with the failure to disclose a medical condition designation, suggesting a conflict with team doctors and staff may have played a role in his departure. He’d missed the team’s game against Detroit due to a shoulder injury and hadn’t been expected to play this weekend against his former team, the Chicago Bears.

The team’s official release didn’t offer much in terms of insight into his departure.

The Green Bay Packers have waived TE Martellus Bennett. The transaction was announced Wednesday by Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson.

Bennett was supposed to have a big impact after being signed away from New England this offseason but failed to make a splash in his return to the NFC North. He had just 24 catches for 233 yards and couldn’t find the end zone in seven games with the Packers.

The big question now is what’s left for the mismatch-creating pass catcher. Bennett had told the world he planned to step away from the game after the 2017 season in a widely-viewed Instagram post back in October.

“After conversations with my family I’m pretty sure these next 8 games will be the conclusion of my NFL career,,” Bennett wrote. “To everyone who has poured themselves and time into my life and career. These next games are for you. Thank you.”

But those eight games never came, and now he’s forced to choose between retiring or trying to latch on with another team.

What this means for Bennett: The 30-year-old tight end may still have some good football left in him, even if his Green Bay tenure was disappointing. He played a major role in the Patriots’ world championship run last fall, filling in for Rob Gronkowski as the team’s No. 1 tight end and playing through injury to set a career high with seven touchdowns. New England hasn’t gotten anything from 2017 pickup Dwayne Allen this fall, and there’s a chance that if Bennett is healthy and can return to the field, there may be a spot waiting for him in Foxborough.

What this means for the Packers: Bennett’s acquisition was supposed to provide a sure-handed upgrade from the mercurial Jared Cook. Instead, the veteran struggled to make an impact with Green Bay, maxing out at single-game highs of six catches and 53 yards. His production seemed due for an upswing after the club downgraded from big-play creator Aaron Rodgers to the short-route aficionado Hundley, but the two struggled to get on the same page while Bennett was healthy.

With Hundley slated to start the bulk of the team’s remaining games, losing Bennett doesn’t seem like a significant loss.