Since the New England Patriots earned another trip to the Super Bowl, there have been serious questions about the status of All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski for the contest.

According to Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, it appears that the 28-year-old would have been unavailable to play had Super Bowl LII been scheduled for this upcoming Sunday rather than next week.

The Patriots’ Friday injury report included mock game statuses for the team’s injured players and they said Gronkowski would have been out due to the concussion he sustained in the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots still have another week before they have to make any decisions about Gronkowski’s status for the Super Bowl and they’ll be hoping he makes progress through the concussion protocol by that point.

Gronkowski had suffered a concussion in the first half of the AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars that kept him out for the rest of the game. He has since been working through the protocol process that saw him remain out of the mix in Thursday's practice.

The Patriots had remained tight-lipped on keeping Gronkowski's progress a mystery. This was the first time that an official update was given concerning his health as it's clear the team is in no rush to get their star tight end through the process. However, there have already been reports that he is expected to play in the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 4.

Although it's hard to truly gauge how long it takes for any player to recover fully from a concussion, it appears that Gronkowski has shown enough progress for him to be assessed that he can take the field for the contest. His presence on the field will be a huge boost for the Patriots offense as he will figure to be Tom Brady's primary target in the passing game.

On top of that, Gronkowski has a proven resume in the playoffs as his 10 postseason receiving touchdowns are tied for third all-time behind only Jerry Rice’s 22 and John Stallworth’s 12. He is also first at his position with 856 receiving yards in the postseason, and he is tied for third all-time with three career 100-yard receiving performances.