Whew. It took 79 days, but Rob Gronkowski has (finally) announced that he will be returning to the New England Patriots for the 2018 season. The future Hall-of-Fame tight end took to Instagram with the announcement. The post states that he informed Bill Belichick that he “will be back for the 2018 season with the Pats.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh-D0ToHtDb/
This comes as pleasant news for Patriots fans everywhere, who have been on edge since the rumors of his potential retirement flared up following the team’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
Rob Gronkowski Confirms Return to New England Patriots for 2018 Season
Fans and sports media alike have been discussing those retirement rumors since Gronkowski’s post-Super Bowl interview. When asked about retiring, Gronkowski told reporters that would was “definitely going to look at [his] future.” Since then, sports media has been fraught with speculation. Following reported disagreements between him and Belichick last season, many believed that he had simply had enough. Others believed that Gronkowski simply wanted to spend some time away from the sport after a devastating loss. Honestly, who could blame him?
Some reporters even took to pondering Gronkowski’s trade value. Two Last Word on Pro Football writers even discussed the possibility of trading him at depth. Given Belichick’s fondness for cutting ties with players demanding more money, the idea of trading the aging tight end seemed almost too real. Especially considering money was rumored to factor into Gronkowski’s qualms. However, that trade would remove one of Tom Brady‘s favorite receivers – a blow that the team could likely not afford after losing players like Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks.
Patriots’ TE Rob Gronkowski and his agent Drew Rosenhaus met today with Bill Belichick, and told him that Gronkowski is playing this season for the Patriots.
“It was very positive and Rob is committed,” Rosenhaus said.
There will be no Gronkowski trade this season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 24, 2018
Gronk’s Return Impacts New England’s Draft Options
This confirmation could quell speculation that the Patriots would pick up a tight end in this year’s draft. That idea was stoked mostly by Gronkowski’s non-committal attitude and Martellus Bennett‘s retirement. Of course, it doesn’t help that losing both players would move Dwayne Allen to the number one tight end spot on the depth chart, with players like Troy Niklas and Jacob Hollister filling in second and third. Gronk’s return means the Patriots no longer have to worry about patching that hole. With that, the possibility of drafting a tight end this year drops significantly.
Take caution, though. Gronkowski could still be on the lookout for a bigger paycheck, which he certainly deserves. That’s another discussion he’ll have with team leadership at another time. For now, Patriots fans, sit back and take a deep sigh of relief. The boy is back in town.
