Rob Gronkowski wants a new contract. He’s made that abundantly clear. But he might have to wait a little while longer.
While Gronkowski and the New England Patriots “likely” will come to terms on a new deal this offseason, “nothing is imminent,” Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk reported Monday, citing a source.
From Florio:
“The source added that there’s still plenty of work to do. The biggest challenge, in our estimation (and not from any source), would be to determine whether Gronkowski will get another incentive-driven raise (he earned an extra $5.5 million last year) or whether he will have a guaranteed increase in his base pay, regardless of performance.”
Gronkowski, who is widely considered the NFL’s top tight end, is set to make $8 million in base salary this season, plus an additional $650,000 or so in the form of a roster bonus. (After skipping the voluntary portion of the Patriots’ offseason program, he won’t receive his $250,000 workout bonus.)
That means Gronkowski is in line to make less money this year than he did in 2017, when he hit every benchmark in his reworked contract and took home $10.2 million. Considering he earned first-team All-Pro honors last season and led the Patriots in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, it’s no surprise he wants this situation remedied.
Gronkowski confirmed during Patriots minicamp last week his camp is “trying to” negotiate a new deal with New England, adding that he’d like to get one done before the season begins.
The 29-year-old tight end, who was a full participant in all three mandatory minicamp practices, reportedly will not attend the final round of Patriots OTAs this week, in part to avoid potential injury while negotiations are ongoing.
