Report: Pats Considered Trading Gronkowski to 49ers

The 49ers pried quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots last year. Earlier this offseason, the 49ers apparently were in a good position to get tight end Rob Gronkowski, too.Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated's Monday Morning Quarterback said on the nationally syndicated Colin Cowherd show this week that Patriots coach Bill Belichick considered trading his four-time All-Pro tight end to the 49ers — among just a few teams — when it appeared uncertain if Gronkowski wanted to continue playing for the Patriots after the Super Bowl loss to the Eagles. There was speculation Gronkowski might retire, or wanted to renegotiate his contract."I don't think they were shopping Gronk to the entire league," Breer told Cowherd. "But there were some teams they trust that I know they talked to. Detroit, Tennessee, Houston, San Francisco … you guys can make the connections there."Belichick, noted Jon Becker of the Bay Area News Group, has close ties to the coaches of the Lions, Titans and Texans and has always been a big fan of former NFL coach Mike Shanahan, father of 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, and GM John Lynch.Breer noted that Belichick was exploring options to get...