When tight end Rob Gronkowski signed an extension with the Patriots in 2012, the deal called for the team to pay a $10 million option bonus before the start of the 2016 league year or Gronkowski would become a free agent.
At the time, the inclusion of that clause was a hedge against Gronkowski remaining healthy over the early years of the contract. There were some issues on that front as Gronkowski played 18 regular season games in 2012 and 2013, but he’s missed just two games the last two years and the Patriots paid out $4 million of that bonus last year.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that they’ll pay out the remainder of the bonus before Wednesday, ensuring that Gronkowski will now remain under contract to the team through the 2019 season. The tight end has a base salary of $2.25 million in 2016 and they’ll rise over the life of the contract to a high of $9 million in 2019.
Should Gronkowski, who turns 27 in May, remain as healthy and as productive as he’s been the last two years, there’s a fair chance that the contract will be revisited before that time.