The New England Patriots appear to be one of the top contenders in the NFL this season and are currently 7-3 heading into Week 11. Even with the struggles that Tom Brady and the Patriots' offense have had, they are still going to be extremely dangerous come playoff time. A big part of that is due to Rob Gronkowski's absence.

Colin Cowherd seems to have an opinion on Gronkowski's future with the Patriots. In a segment on his Fox Sports 1 show, Cowherd made the bold prediction that this will be Gronkowski's last season with the Patriots.

“Well, he’s only caught one touchdown pass since Week 1. He watched this week’s game. Here’s the other troubling part: (Patriots coach Bill) Belichick’s a data guy. The Patriots in the last two years are 11-2 without Gronk, and never forget Gronk acknowledged, ‘Yeah they were trying to trade me before the draft.’ I think it’s obvious Gronk’s no longer the best tight end in football, certainly not the most reliable Patriot and will not be a Patriot next year.”

Simply stating the fact that the Patriots were looking to trade Gronkowski this offseason should be a telling sign about his future with the franchise. Multiple other reports have come out suggesting that he is ready to move on from New England and possibly even retire.

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Throughout the 2018 NFL season thus far, Gronkowski has only been able to play in seven games. He has caught 29 passes for 448 yards and a touchdown.

Needless to say, those are not the kind of numbers that fans are used to seeing from the superstar tight end.

At 29 years old, Gronkowski is not the player that he once was. New England knows that, and it might be time for the two sides to mutually part ways.

Whether Gronkowski plays for another team or not, he will go down as one of the best players in Patriots' franchise history.