At least one AFC executive believes star New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski can still be had in a trade. At least until he lands the contract restructure that’s been reported as in the works for a couple months now.
“Where’s the restructure of his contract?” the AFC personnel executive asked, per Boston Sports Journal’s Greg A. Bedard. “Until that’s done, I think he’s still available. I wouldn’t be surprised if Belichick is going to test Gronk’s buy-in with the contract.”
This may seem far-fetched, but it certainly wouldn’t be out of character for head coach Bill Belichick, who has a history of trading stars before they’ve faded.
That said, Gronkowski sure has seemed happy this offseason since making the decision to forego retirement for at least one more year.
He’s been like the Energizer Bunny during practices and says he’s “refreshed” and “super excited” about the coming season — he appears to have his passion back for the game.
And when Gronkowski is motivated and healthy, there aren’t many players who can do what he does on the gridiron. Last year, he hauled in 69 receptions for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns. That kind of production will be needed in 2018, especially early when Julian Edelman remains out on suspension the first four games of the season.
With all that in mind, we’d be stunned if the Patriots did end up trading Gronk any time soon.