There has been a lot of speculation surrounding what Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots attempted to do about tight end Rob Gronkowski. Much of that speculation involved the Patriots possibly looking to shop him and just let another NFL team deal with the situation. Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston, however, reported on Friday that New England says there is "zero truth" to the rumors of an imminent trade involving Gronkowski.
That doesn't mean the Patriots were not interested at one point.
A report on Friday from Adam Kurkjian, formerly of the Boston Herald, stated that, according to multiple sources, Belichick did indeed look to trade Gronkowski and even had offers on the table from the San Francisco 49ers and the Tennessee Titans. According to Kurkjian, Belichick and Robert Kraft had a meeting to discuss the possibility but quarterback Tom Brady threatened to retire if the deal went through, so Kraft ended the discussions.
From multiple sources, here's what I have re: the Gronk rumors. Told Belichick wanted to trade him. Offers on the table w both the Titans and 49ers. He and Robert Kraft had a closed-door meeting to discuss. Tom Brady threatened to retire if the deal went through. Kraft nixed it.
— Adam Kurkjian (@AdamKurkjian) June 8, 2018
It's unclear when the offer was made. It might have been during the draft with the Patriots looking to move up. Kurkjian also noted that the events outlined took place over time and not in a single day.
Gronkowski has been quarterback Tom Brady's favorite target for years. The 28-year-old tight end has spent all eight of his NFL seasons with New England and amassed 474 receptions for 7,179 yards with 76 touchdowns.
Gronkowski has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving four times over his career. The latest was last season when he caught 69 passes for 1,084 yards with eight touchdowns. He has had 10-or-more touchdowns in five of his eight NFL seasons. In 2011, Gronkowski led the league in touchdown receptions with 17.
Following the Patriots' 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 52, Gronkowski was non-committal when asked by reporters about his NFL future. While he, along with Brady, decided to skip the Patriots' voluntary workouts during organized team activities, both reported for mandatory minicamp.
The Patriots made Gronkowski a second-round draft pick out of Arizona in 2010. He is a five-time Pro Bowl selection, five-time first-team All-Pro, and two-time Super Bowl champion.
