Boston Sports Columnist Makes Bold Statement About Patriots Losing Gronkowski

Now-retired Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski decided to retire after winning the Super Bowl with his team. Well, he needed a lot of time to make the final decision, and that’s why Ryan Hannable said the Patriots have “reason to be miffed” with the tight end for waiting this long to make a decision.

According to Hannable, the Patriots were optimistic about Gronk’s return. The team didn’t even look for tight ends at the beginning of March.

“The start of free agency saw the top tight ends sign with other teams, including Jesse James, Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah,” Hannable wrote. “The Patriots were never in the mix because they really didn’t know what was going on with Gronkowski and obviously if he returned they didn’t need another No. 1 tight end. 

“Then came the weekend before the owners meetings at the very end of March and Bill Belichick appeared to decide he needed a decision. That Thursday, Belichick apparently called Rosenhaus to check in on Gronkowski’s status. Rosenhaus then told Gronkowski he should make a decision soon.”

Many would agree with Hannable’s remarks. Maybe Gronk should have made his decision a little earlier.

“Three days later, that Sunday, the day before the NFL owners meetings, Gronkowski told Rosenhaus he was retiring,” Hannable continued. “Gronkowski then called Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft before making the announcement public via Instagram early that Sunday evening. Meanwhile, at the same time the Patriots were losing out on another top tight end, Jared Cook, as he was deciding between the Saints and Patriots, but because he wanted to be the No. 1 tight end he chose New Orleans not knowing what Gronkowski was going to do.”

Hannable blames Gronkowski for the Patriots’ failure to get a top free agent tight end.

“The organization missed out on all the top free agent tight ends and then while many said they would fill the void via the draft, it was clear the Patriots didn’t think the tight end group was that deep. At the top, T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant are tremendous players, but because they both went so high, the Patriots had no shot at landing either of them, even via trade. The other tight ends just weren’t worth being selected when they went.”

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *