Rob Gronkowski opting against a holdout during the summer continued to limit the historically great tight end’s earning potential, and Ben Volin of the Boston Globe views that decision as costly for the again-injured All-Pro. Gronkowski was coming off two dominant seasons this summer but continued to play on a team-friendly deal signed in 2012, one that will pay him $4.25MM in base salary in 2017.
The 27-year-old dynamo has now seen another significant injury sideline him, shooting down his leverage with the Patriots on a deal that still contains three years — the final two featuring $19MM in nonguaranteed money. Gronk making $14MM in 2016-17 is not only incredibly pedestrian for his fellow tight ends, Volin argues his salary should have been closer to top-end receivers’ than those at a position at which he’s been viewed as the No. 1 talent for the past five years.
Now, 2017 looms as a pivotal year in Gronkowski’s New England timeline, with another comeback perhaps necessary to induce the Pats to keep him in 2018-19 during the nonguaranteed years. Volin also gathers from the joint statement released by the Patriots and Gronkowski’s family the team believed he could return this season but the Gronkowskis want to preserve the seventh-year player’s long-term value.
Here’s more from the perpetual AFC East champions.
- Marcus Cannon will almost certainly be the Patriots’ right tackle in 2017 and 2018, but the full guarantees on the breakout player’s recent extension stop in 2019. The Patriots will have until the third day of the ’19 league year, per Volin, to determine whether or not they want to pay Cannon any more money. Through the end of the ’18 season, Cannon’s deal will pay out a minimum of $16.03MM and a maximum of $17.4MM. Set to turn 29 before next season, Cannon will carry cap numbers of $3.4MM and $6.05MM in 2017-18, with 2019’s figure ballooning to $7.55MM, which should still be a reasonable value as the salary cap continues to rise.
- The Patriots’ roster didn’t seem to need another running back now that Dion Lewis is a game-day regular again, but moving D.J. Foster back to the practice squad did not result the usual financial ramifications for the backup. The UDFA will still make $26,470 this week as opposed to the practice squad minimum of $6,900 per week, Volin notes (on Twitter). New England re-signed Foster to its taxi squad earlier this week after claiming Darius Kilgo on waivers from Denver last weekend.
- Dont’a Hightower should be considered a candidate for the franchise tag, even if the middle linebacker hasn’t shown himself to be tremendously durable, missing eight games in 2014-15, Michael Giardi of CSNNE.com writes. The linebacker franchise tag crept over $14MM this offseason, with pass-rushing OLBs being categorized the same as traditional-type ‘backers, but Giardi notes the Pats tagging Hightower would likely be a stopgap measure while the sides work something out. After all, the team essentially prioritized him after trading potential UFAs Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins.
- There’s a rare win for the players. Alan Branch prevailed in his appeal of a four-game substance-abuse suspension.