One offseason move each NFL team must make
New England Patriots-Plan To Replace Rob Gronkowski
As of this writing, the Super Bowl has yet to be played. What a win or a loss would mean for Gronkowski is unclear, but he was rumored to be entertaining retirement a year ago and for much of the 2018 season he looked like a slowly moving shell of what he was.
Gronkowski will have options whenever he’s done playing, just by being “Gronk”, and he has said he lives off his endorsements without touching the money he has made playing in the NFL. So he doesn’t need football at its core, and his body has taken a serious beating over the years.
From @NFLGameDay: As #Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski mulls retirement this offseason, it doesn't sound like the WWE is in his future. Perhaps movies, though. ... This is very important news. pic.twitter.com/S4obsWijRv
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 20, 2019
The Patriots can survive without Gronkowski on a broad level, but they’ll need a tight end who can be a threat in the passing game. The free agent class at the position has some intrigue (Jared Cook, Tyler Eifert), so a notable move in that market could very well come. New England could turn to the draft too, by which point they should know Gronkowski’s status.
When Gronkowski will make a decision on his future is anyone’s guess. But the Patriots should have a plan to fill the void at tight end if he retires, and it’s safe to assume the matter has already started to be discussed in the building.