Latest On Rob Gronkowski Trade Rumors
On Friday morning, Twitter became flooded with rumors of a potential Rob Gronkowski trade. However, it appears that Patriots fans can breathe easy. There is “zero truth” to rumblings of the Patriots trading Gronkowski, a source tells Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston (on Twitter). 
[On This Date In 2012: Gronkowski, Patriots Agree To Record-Setting Six-Year Extension]
At Pro Football Rumors, we typically do not go out of our way to address rumors from unsubstantiated sources, but the word of a potential Gronkowski trade has dominated the Twittersphere for several hours. Given the Patriots’ history of embracing the next-man-up mentality, a trade of the most dominant tight end in the game would be a surprise, but hardly an impossibility.
Gronkowski stayed away for much of the Patriots’ voluntary offseason team activities this year in an apparent effort to have his contract reworked. His arrival in Foxboro this week seemed to signal that a resolution was on the horizon, but the two sides have yet to hammer out a revised deal. Gronkowski’s brief flirtation with retirement this offseason could also be a signal that the “Patriot Way” has grown tiresome for him.
One source who has been with the Patriots for years told Curran (Twitter link) the team’s treatment of Gronk at the start of 2017 was similar to how other players have been treated before being dealt. Of course, that doesn’t mean a whole lot in and of itself, and the tight end was not traded last year.
So, for now, we can put the Gronkowski trade rumors to rest. While major trades are more commonplace than ever in the NFL and Bill Belichick‘s methodology remains unpredictable, there’s no reason to believe that Gronkowski will be in another uniform in 2018.
AFC East Notes: Patriots, Rowe, Jets
The Patriots‘ final roster could include a sixth cornerback, as Doug Kyed of NESN.com writes. Right now, he expects the Pats to roll into the season with Stephon Gilmore, Duke Dawson, Jonathan Jones, Jason McCourty, and Eric Rowe as their top five cornerbacks.
However, J.C. Jackson is also making a strong case and has been getting more reps in the starting defense than Rowe this offseason. Keion Crossen and Ryan Lewis have also looked sharp and Cyrus Jones‘ return ability should keep him in the conversation. The only corner who seems to be out of the conversation is Jomal Wiltz, an Iowa State product who spent last year on New England’s taxi squad.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- New Jets safety J.J. Wilcox can earn up to $1.25MM on his one-year contract, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. The deal includes $210K fully guaranteed, which may be more than what he had on the table with the Niners. In the wake of Rontez Miles‘ torn meniscus, Wilcox appears to be in line for an important role behind starting safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye.
- On Thursday, we learned that Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman has been suspended for the first four games of the 2018 season, pending an appeal. Here’s a look at some of the potential fallout from the news.
- Six years ago today, Rob Gronkowski inked a record-setting deal with the Patriots.
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This Date In Transactions History: Rob Gronkowski
Six years ago, Rob Gronkowski inked the most lucrative deal for a tight end in NFL history. The Patriots tacked another six years on to the two remaining seasons of his rookie contract at $54MM, locking him down through the 2019 campaign. 
The deal made plenty of sense for both sides at the time. The pact included $13MM fully guaranteed and $18MM guaranteed for injury, which provided the 23-year-old with financial security early in his career. Through his first two NFL seasons, the former second-round pick made less than $2.5MM in total.
Meanwhile, the Patriots locked down a tight end coming off of a First-Team All-Pro selection. Although he impressed as a rookie, Gronk took his game to a new level in 2011 as he caught 90 passes for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns with a catch percentage of 72.6%. Even today, those numbers stand as Gronk’s career bests.
A broken forearm sidelined Gronkowski for five games in 2012. Shortly after returning, he re-aggravated the injury in the Pats’ first playoff game and missed out on the AFC Championship game. In the offseason, the forearm became infected, forcing the tight end to undergo the third and fourth surgeries of his career. In June of 2013, he had back surgery. Then, in a late-season contest against the Browns, he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee. Gronk was undoubtedly grateful for his injury guarantees at that time.
There were more ailments to come, including a less serious knee injury in 2015 and a pulmonary contusion in 2016, but Gronkowski continued to be one of the very best at his position. Meanwhile, the salary cap continued to grow and the tight end market advanced. Over time, Gronk’s record-setting deal started to look more and more team-friendly. In 2014, Jimmy Graham signed a deal that made him the league’s highest-paid tight end with an average annual average value of $10MM and $16.5MM in full guarantees.
Eventually, something had to give. Prior to the 2017 season, the Pats tweaked Gronk’s deal to incentivize his performance while protecting the team against another injury-marred season. The deal gave him a base salary of $5.25MM with incentive packages at three different tiers:
- A total salary of $10.75MM with either 90% play time or 80 catches or 1,200 receiving yards or an All-Pro nomination.
- A total salary $8.75MM with 80% play time or 70 catches or 1,000 receiving yards or 12 touchdowns.
- A total salary of $6.75MM with 70% play time or 60 receptions or 800 receiving yards or ten touchdowns.
With 1,084 yards (off of 69 receptions with eight touchdowns), Gronkowski satisfied the middle tier requirement. However, thanks to his First-Team All-Pro selection, the tight end maxed out his 2017 package.
Gronk still has two years to go on the deal he inked in 2012 and the Patriots will probably have to sweeten the pot for him again. The tight end has decided that acting and/or pro wrestling can wait, but his absence from early-season OTAs likely signals his desire for an improved contract. In the coming weeks, it’s likely that Gronkowski will receive yet another upgrade to separate him even further from the rest of the tight end pack.
Extra Points: Browns, Johnson, Watson, Watt
Duke Johnson Jr. is staying in Cleveland for the foreseeable future. The running back signed a three-year extension with the organization today that will tack an additional $15.6MM ($7.7MM guaranteed) to his contract. While the 24-year-old is set to be with the organization until at least 2021, Johnson was more focused on his team’s potential in 2018.
“I’m excited,” Johnson told ClevelandBrowns.com. “It’s fun to see how this team is shaping out and I want to be a part of it. You can see it with the guys they brought in on offense like Tyrod (Taylor) and (Jarvis) Landry plus the guys we already had. I think bringing in coach (Todd) Haley adds another dimension to our offense and it gives coach (Hue) Jackson the chance to be the head coach. John Dorsey has been bringing in guys that can play, that can ball, and that gives us a chance. Now it’s about going out and doing it now.”
General manager John Dorsey also discussed the running back’s new deal.
“Duke Johnson is a good football player,” Dorsey said. “His hard work and commitment to the Browns organization is appreciated and we are excited to extend his contract and keep him in a Browns uniform for years to come. Duke is an excellent representative our organization. He leads by example and we look forward to him playing an important role with the Cleveland Browns moving forward.”
Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the NFL…
- The Texans are looking like they’re going to head into the 2018 campaign healthy. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that quarterback Deshaun Watson (ACL) and defensive end J.J. Watt (tibial plateau fracture) aren’t expected to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list. The duo combined for only 12 games last season.
- NFL executive vice president of business operations Eric Grubman will be stepping down from his role (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). The executive, who has been with the NFL for 14 years, played a major part in the Rams’ move to Los Angeles.“He has handled some of the most challenging and important issues to the NFL,” said Roger Goodell. While the commissioner tried to convince Grubman to stick around, the executive will join former COO Tod Leiwicke and former executive vice president of communications Joe Lockhart among those who have left high-ranking roles.
- We learned earlier today that Broncos edge rusher Shane Ray is set to undergo wrist surgery, which will keep him out of action for three months.
Reactions To Julian Edelman’s Pending Suspension
We learned earlier today that Patriots wideout Julian Edelman was facing a four-game ban for violating the NFL’s performance enhancing substances policy. Naturally, some football pundits turned their eyes to trainer Alex Guerrero, who has worked with several Patriots players, including Edelman and Tom Brady.
After the news broke, Guerrero told NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran that he had nothing to do with the alleged performance-enhancing drugs.
“I’ve known Julian since his rookie year and he is a phenomenal athlete who takes his training seriously – it’s disappointing to hear today’s news,” Guerrero said (Twitter links). “Elite athletes sometimes work with multiple coaches and health professionals as part of their training.
Here at our facility, we take a natural, holistic, appropriate and, above all, legal approach to training and recovery for all of our clients. And anyone who would suggest otherwise is irresponsible, and just plain wrong.”
Here’s some more notes and opinions regarding Edelman:
- Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe writes that Edelman’s suspension gives Bill Belichick “more ammunition” against Guerrero. Last season, the Patriots head coach banned the trainer from Gillette Stadium, despite the fact that Guerrero had long been associated with Brady. The writer ultimately questions Guerrero’s credibility, noting that “Belichick stripping Guerrero of sideline privileges is at the root of Tom vs. Bill.”
- Meanwhile, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe has a more optimistic viewpoint on Edelman’s suspension. The wideout tore his ACL last preseason, forcing him to miss the entire 2017 campaign. Volin notes that it can be difficult for a 32-year-old wideout to come back from such an injury, and the extra month’s rest could help keep Edelman fresh throughout the year.
- Volin also has specifics on how much money Edelman is set to sacrifice. The receiver will lose $470K in salary, $31K in roster bonuses, and $392K of his signing bonus, totaling $987K. The wideout also has another $500K in performance incentives that will now be tougher to reach.
Colts Waive WR Kolby Listenbee
Kolby Listenbee is looking for a job. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Colts have waived wideout Kolby Listenbee from the IR. The receiver will become a free agent if he goes unclaimed.
The TCU product was originally projected to be a third- or fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft, but he ended up falling to the Bills in the sixth round. Listenbee was unable to stay healthy during his lone season in Buffalo, and he was released by the team last offseason. He eventually caught on with the Dolphins practice squad before signing with the Colts. He inked a futures deal with Indy back in January, and he was waived/injured last month before ultimately landing on the injured reserve.
With Listenbee out of the picture, that means there’s one less receiver competing for one of the final roster spots. Kasen Williams, Deon Cain, Krishawn Hogan, and Seantavius Jones are currently listed at the bottom of the team’s depth chart.
Seahawks DE Dion Jordan Underwent Knee Surgery
We now have an explanation for Dion Jordan‘s absence from Seahawks OTAs. Coach Pete Carroll told reporters (including Bob Condotta of Seattle Times) that the defensive end recently underwent a minor “cleanup knee surgery.” Jordan’s estimated recovery time is six-to-eight weeks.
Assuming Jordan had the surgery in the past week or so, he’d be returning right in time for the start of preseason football. While the 28-year-old could easily be back for Seattle’s August 9th matchup against the Colts, he might also need some time to get in shape. In the unlikely event that the recovery extends into the regular season, Seattle could turn to a number of fill-ins, including Rasheem Green, Marcus Smith, Branden Jackson, and Quinton Jefferson.
The third-overall pick in 2013, Jordan disappointed during his four-year tenure with the Dolphins. He appeared in 26 games between 2013 and 2014, totaling 46 tackles and three sacks. After being suspended four games in 2014, Jordan earned a season-long ban in 2015. Upon reinstatement, he didn’t play a single snap with Miami in 2016, and he was ultimately released by the team. He caught on with the Seahawks this past year, compiling 18 tackles and four sacks in five games. Jordan signed his RFA tender back in April.
While Jordan will be out for OTAs, it sounds like three veterans are set to return next week. Carroll told reporters that safety Earl Thomas, cornerback Byron Maxwell and defensive end Frank Clark are expected to be at mandatory mini-camp (via Condotta on Twitter).
Giants Sign Third-Round DL B.J. Hill
The Giants have signed another draft pick. ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that the team has signed third-round defensive lineman B.J. Hill. The rookie was selected with the 69th pick in this year’s draft.
The 22-year-old had four standout season at NC State, playing in a total of 48 games. His best year came in 2015, when he finished the campaign with 50 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. He earned an All-ACC honorable mention nod during his senior campaign after he finished with 55 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one forced fumble.
Veteran Damon Harrison is currently slotted in as the team’s starting nose tackle, but the 6-foot-3, 311-pound Hill appears to be his natural successor. For the time being, the rookie will compete with Robert Thomas, A.J. Francis, Jordan Williams, and Josh Banks for playing time.
Following the move, the Giants still have two unsigned draft picks: first-round running back Saquon Barkley and fifth-round defensive tackle R.J. McIntosh.
Bears Sign LB Kasim Edebali
After having played for four teams in 2017, free agent Kasim Edebali has found a home for 2018. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the linebacker has signed with the Bears. The team has also waived defensive back Tyrin Holloway and wide receiver Shaq Roland.
The 2014 undrafted free agent out of Boston College had spent the first three seasons of his career with the Saints, where he played under Chicago’s current general manager, Ryan Pace. Edebali didn’t miss a regular season game during his tenure in New Orleans, and he compiled eight sacks in three years. The 28-year-old bounced around the league in 2017, spending time with the Broncos, Lions, Rams, and Saints. He ended up appearing in 13 total games, compiling a single tackle.
Edebali will be fighting for a backup gig in Chicago. First-rounder Roquan Smith and former first-round pick Leonard Floyd are slotted in as the starters, with Sam Acho, Aaron Lynch, Joel Iyiegbuniwe, and Jonathan Anderson all competing for reps.