Patriots Rumors: New England working on restructure with Rob Gronkowski
By Nick Ziegler
Recent Patriots rumors are that the New England Patriots and Rob Gronkowski are working on restructuring his contract.
With OTA’s underway, recent Patriots rumors have been about the team and Rob Gronkowski working on a contract restructure. Last season, Gronkowski was able to come back from an injury-plagued 2016 season and have a really solid season.
Injuries have been a problem for Gronkowski in his career, and he suffered a scary concussion in AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gronkowski was forced from the game but was able to return for the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles.
As expected, Gronkowski played very well in that game, but there were rumblings about him possibly considering retirement. However, Gronkowski has now committed to playing next season, and the two sides are reportedly working on a restructure.
A contract restructure with Rob Gronkowski is currently being worked on. If it has incentives like last year, per NFL rules it can't be done until May 24th (1 year from when he restructured his last deal). That’s a date to keep an eye on. Patriots third OTA is also on May 24th
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) May 21, 2018
In all likelihood, this contract will be similar to the restructure that Gronkowski and the Patriots agreed to last season. Adding incentives to his contract will help Gronkowski earn some more money.
As of now, Gronkowski’s base salary is just $8 million for next season, which is low considering he is the best tight end in the NFL. After he restructured last season, he was able to earn just north of $10 million, which will likely be a number that he will like to be around next season.
Last season, Gronkowski was able to total 69 receptions, 1,084 receiving yards, and eight receiving touchdowns. Since he was suspended for one game, Gronkowski didn’t play in every game last year, but he was very reliable for the Patriots in the regular season.
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On the first day of OTA’s Gronkowski was absent as many expected, as he wants to get some more money. However, since the Patriots restructured his deal with incentives last year, they have to wait until May 24th this year in order to do that again. When that day rolls around, we will have to see if a deal is in place with Gronkowski.