Martellus Bennett ruled out for 2nd week in a row

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Martellus Bennett won't play Sunday against the Chicago Bears, and the Packers can't say if he'll even play again this season or beyond.

Coach Mike McCarthy on Wednesday ruled out Bennett for this week, meaning he will miss a second straight game because of a shoulder injury.

McCarthy said last week that Bennett was still being evaluated by doctors.

"I know he was in here yesterday. There's a number of opinions that he's working through," McCarthy said. "He met with our medical staff yesterday, so they're still going through the process, but he will be out against Chicago."

The veteran tight end hasn't played since he announced during the Packers' bye week that he was "pretty sure" this would be his last NFL season. When Bennett returned from the bye, he offered only a one-word explanation for what led him to that decision: "Life," he said.

It's unclear exactly how Bennett got hurt. He took part in the first practice following the Packers' bye week but hasn't been on the field since then.

The Packers have only two other tight ends on their roster: Lance Kendricks and Richard Rodgers. Without Bennett on Monday night against the Lions, Kendricks had two catches for 32 yards and Rodgers one catch for 5 yards.

The Packers signed Bennett to a three-year, $21 million contract as a free agent in March. They gave him a $6.3 million signing bonus. If Bennett retires, the Packers would likely go after the remaining two-thirds of his signing bonus. If they do, Bennett would have to return $4.2 million. He also would leave up to $12.95 million of additional income on the table.

The Packers already had ruled out two other players this week: right tackle Bryan Bulaga and safety Morgan Burnett. Bulaga tore the ACL in his right knee against the Lions and will miss the rest of the season, while Burnett sustained a groin injury and won't play this week.