The Los Angeles Chargers lost tight end Hunter Henry to a torn ACL on Tuesday, which could prompt the Bolts to consider re-signing Antonio Gates, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
But what if the Chargers think bigger?
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio suggested Wednesday that the Chargers should call the New England Patriots about a potential trade for tight end Rob Gronkowski, who’s been absent from organized team activities after months of speculation regarding his long-term future.
“I make the phone call to the Patriots and inquire about Rob Gronkowski if I’m the Chargers. What does it hurt? Right?,” Florio said. “There’s still something going on there (in New England) even though they act like there isn’t. And if Gronk’s got one year left, I’ve got a need for one year, bring him here, we’ll pay him, let’s go.
“Let’s put Rob Gronkowski together with (quarterback) Philip Rivers, they’ve got the outside receivers, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, and you’ve got the running back, Melvin Gordon, and off you go. I think it’s great, and I think that’s what they should do.”
The absence of Gronkowski and quarterback Tom Brady from OTAs certainly is interesting, although Patriots owner Robert Kraft explained Wednesday that he expects both to join the team during minicamp. There’s been no indication to this point the Patriots would consider trading Gronkowski, who mulled retirement earlier this offseason after New England’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII. But it’s still worth a shot to see if Bill Belichick has any interest in moving on from All-Pro tight end.
“Here’s the thing: It doesn’t mean the Patriots will do it. But at the same time, you should try,” Florio said of the Chargers potentially inquiring about Gronkowski. “There’s no reason not to try. Make the phone call. And there’s a way to find out whether or not Gronk would even be interested, even though it’s technically tampering. That would probably be a smart initial phone call to make, completely off the grid, because if Gronk’s not interested, why waste your time calling Bill Belichick? But it doesn’t hurt.
“And again, you’re competing with the (Los Angeles) Rams — think of everything the Rams are doing in L.A. to try to make the team more exciting and more compelling and get more fans to show up and support that L.A. team. The other L.A. team can’t afford to be losing star players and not replacing them with other potential stars.
“Now, do they just bring back Antonio Gates? I don’t know. They already slammed the door on Antonio Gates. It would be very awkward at this point if they were to welcome him back in.”
Gates had a very productive 15-year run with the Chargers, and bringing him back might be the easiest (albeit potentially awkward) solution to bolstering their tight end situation after Henry’s injury. He’s turning 38 years old next month, though, and Gronk remains one of the most dominant players in the NFL.
