Accommodating Macca's request is the type of player-friendly move that Bennett would likely approve (similar to the Ash Taylor scenario). It can, of course, come back to bite you (just like releasing Ash did), but its the type of classy, moral, empathetic moves that show the players that its not just all a business, fosters loyalty and inspires confidence in the remaining playing group to adopt the same culture and treat their relationship with the Broncos as more than just a business transaction. Is that culture building move worth the loss of that player? It's hard to measure, but it's the typical old fashioned approach that Wayne has taken over his career - treating the players as young men, not just commodities. The key criteria here is that with Wayne, his team was always in a position where they could grant these requests and it would have little instant impact on the team.
Fast forward to 2021 though and we don't have that luxury anymore. Like it or not, we saw last year that we do in fact need Macca and releasing him would instantly hurt the team. The current crop of players compared to years past are also so engrained with the mentality of 'its just a game' / 'its just a job' that it's more doubtful such a move would change the culture, galvanise the group and pay the same dividends this ploy would have in past decades.
Macca is a loyal servant of the club, a dedicated, hard-working, no-nonsense player who has given 100% every time he's pulled on the Broncos jersey. The Broncos of yesteryear under Wayne would probably have liked the opportunity to allow him to secure his playing future now... But Wayne isn't at the helm anymore and we're not a perennial top 6 team anymore...