Martellus Bennett said he had to be talked into reporting to the team after the New England Patriots claimed him last week.
Bennett told his agent to tell teams not to claim him on waivers because he wanted to have surgery on an injured shoulder.
"When Bill [Belichick] called and said they claimed me, I was like, 'No [bleeping] way,'" Bennett said. "Then he was like, 'What's going on?' And I told him ... We had a quick conversation and I was just like, 'Let me think about it and I'll call you back.'
"Even then, it wasn't like, 'Hey, you want to come?' It was like,'‘Let me just call you back in a few minutes. Give me a chance to think about it and regroup.' Because I don't even know if I went through the seven stages of grief yet. I'm probably on Step 3.
"I think the group of guys on this team couldn't be a better place for me to, with what I'm going through right now, this situation, it couldn't be a better place for me, all the familiar faces and friends and things like that. It's been good to have those guys around."
The Green Bay Packers had already ruled him out last week, but he managed to get across country and prepare himself to play seven snaps last night for the Patriots.
