Shortly after New England traded out of the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio fielded a question about another trade his team made earlier in the week.
During a video conference with reporters Thursday night, Caserio was asked how the Patriots determine the proper value for a retired player like tight end Rob Gronkowski, who announced his NFL comeback and requested a trade to Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England would up dealing Gronkowski and a 2020 seventh-round draft pick to Tampa on Tuesday in exchange for a fourth-rounder.
“I think trades always take on a life of their own,” Caserio said. “So you just try to figure out … either you’re comfortable with the compensation that’s being offered and provided or you’re not, and you make a decision and you move forward. And I think that’s how we’ve always approached trades.
“Whether it’s veteran players, whether it’s during the draft, there’s no set formula or anything like that. So you take the information you have, you process it, you talk about it and make a decision and move forward.”
Thursday’s trade saw the Patriots move back from pick No. 23 to No. 37, acquiring an early third-round pick (No. 71) in the process. They currently own five selections on Day 2 (one second-rounder, four thirds) and eight more on Day 3 (two fourths, one fifth, four sixth, one seventh).
Finding a proper Gronkowski successor, which the Patriots failed to do following the superstar’s retirement last spring, should be high on their priority list Friday night.
