It has now become official: Rob Gronkowski has been put on injured reserve and will miss the rest of the season because of a back injury. Gronk will finish the year playing only 8 regular season games, making this the 5th straight year he has failed to complete a full regular season. The last time Gronkowski played a full 16 game season was in 2011 when the Patriots made it to the Super Bowl. Even in that season, he went down in the playoffs with a high ankle sprain and was not anywhere near full strength.
The next year, Gronkowski went on to fracture his forearm and come back five games later only to break it again in the second round of the playoffs. After surgeries on a herniated disk and two additional surgeries on his arm, he missed the first six games of the regular season. However, he did not finish that season as he ended up tearing his ACL, keeping him sidelined for the year. Finally, it seemed like like the injury bug was finally wearing off. Then this season, he finds himself missing the first two games, and now the rest of the year, due to another back injury.
At this point, the injury history is too much. I do not care how good of a player Rob Gronkowski is, being this unreliable is a disservice to any team. No, the injuries are not his fault but something needs to be done. Don't get me wrong, I love Gronk as a player and as a celebrity but there are certain times you need to put your mind over your heart. If the right offer came on the table, I would absolutely trade Gronkowski out of New England. It may leave a big void, but at least you won't be left in week 12 of the NFL season without your biggest weapon.
Now the question becomes: what is the right offer? Honestly, mine might be much lower than others but if a trade for Gronk was proposed and in return New England got a top 10 selection in the draft, I would say pull the trigger. Brady is getting older and we have seen Jimmy Garoppolo thrive in an offense without Gronkowski earlier in the year. A top 10 pick would set the team up with another possible franchise player to go along with Jimmy G when Brady retires.
If Gronk does stay however, it would not be the worst thing in the world. He still is the best tight end in the game when healthy and his contract is not huge. If it was up to me, best case scenario is we trade him to a rebuilding NFC team for a top 10 pick. Possible trade destinations could be Los Angeles to help market the returning franchise, or Chicago to team up with Alshon Jeffery and a hopefully healthy Kevin White. The Bears do need a quarterback with their high draft pick, but I believe they can get one in the second round or later.
