NFL Executives Make Bold Predictions About Patriots In 2019

The regular season is coming to a close this weekend in the NFL and while teams like the New England Patriots are looking forward to a playoff run, some are looking towards the future. 

With that in mind, ESPN published a piece on Wednesday polling some executives around the league and asking for some of the biggest and boldest predictions heading into 2019. As it relates to Patriots, those NFL executives have some polarizing predictions that would certainly make waves around the region and stretch to the furtherest corners of the league. 

Could this Sunday mark the final regular-season game of Gronkowski’s career?

Gronk considered retirement following the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl LII loss to the Eagles in February, and at least one NFL executive believes the All-Pro tight end will step away after the 2018 season.

“I do think Gronkowski retires,” an insider said, via ESPN. “He looks miserable out there.”

This isn’t the first time that the Rob Gronkowski retiring rumbles have come about this season as both Pro Football Talk and NBC Sports Boston have suggested the same thing. 

“Certainly, when you look at the arch of Gronk’s time here, this is probably the stretch run of Rob Gronkowski as a New England Patriot,” Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston told WEEI back in November. 

With the rumblings continuing and even spoke about amongst NFL execs, there certainly seems to be a lot of smoke around Gronk walking away. 

Here’s what Sando wrote:

If Belichick wasn’t excited about paying $8 million in salary to Gronkowski this season, would he want to pay $9 million to him in 2019? Gronkowski is averaging 55 receiving yards per game and one touchdown every four games. The yardage average would be Gronkowski’s lowest since his 2010 rookie season. The touchdown average would be a career low. Gronkowski went without a reception against Buffalo in Week 16.

Some NFL execs also wondered aloud if 2019 would be Belichick’s final season in New England, but there have been some reports dating back to New England’s Week 14 matchup with the Dolphins saying that the head coach is showing no signs of slowing down.