Through the first 10 weeks of the season, there has been some growing some growing questions about New England Patriots Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski's performance on the field.
Beyond his current struggles with his health, Gronkowski has had plenty of concerns his ability to get back to playing at an elite level of this point of his career. With that in mind, Adam Schefter of ESPN recently pointed during an interview with WEEI's Mut & Callahan Show that if the 29-year-old continues to play at this same pace, these lingering questions could lead to the Patriots to possibly think about heading another direction. (h/t Sam Quinn of 247 Sports)
“I think his future is in question, whatever that means. … He has the second half of the year to [prove to] the Patriots, other teams, and to see how his situation is going to play out. I don’t think they are thinking right now, ‘Oh, we’re going to cut Rob Gronkowski in the offseason, or restructure his contract.’ Whatever it may be. There’s still plenty of time. I would say if he continues to play like he has, those questions come into play.”
In seven games played, the 29-year-old has hauled in 29 receptions for 448 receiving yards and one touchdown this season. This has seen him tally over 100 receiving yards just once this season, which came in the season opener against the Houston Texans. It has simply seen a more notable drop off in production as the year has worn while he is also on the mend having missed the last three games due to nagging back and ankle injuries.
The Patriots have had a strong reputation over the years to operate in more of a manner with business first with their mindset on letting go of players before they begin to become an issue for them. This has been the case for many of their previous talents that have been moved when the team believed it was best to do so.
Gronkowski could fall right into that as his four-year, $54 million deal runs through the 2019 campaign, but notably has just a $2 million dead salary cap hit if the team were part ways with him. Ultimately, this is something to certainly keep an eye moving forward.
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