The Patriots added incentives and per-game roster bonuses to tight end Rob Gronkowski’s contract last week, which makes it two years in a row that they have sweetened the pot for one of their best players.
Gronkowski stayed away from the team during their voluntary work this offseason, but never missed mandatory work and reported to training camp on time. With a nod to players like Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald, Gronkowski noted that holding out beyond voluntary work gets results on the contract front while saying he is content with how things have played out with the Patriots.
“I’m super satisfied with my situation,” Gronkowski said, via NESN.com. “If I wasn’t, I would try to pull a move like they did. It works out. You get rewarded for holding out. But I’m not frustrated at all or anything. I’m super satisfied and just ready to go. Ready to play. That’s my main focus.”
While it wasn’t frustrating, Gronkowski said it is “definitely a relief to have that all out of the way” and declared himself happy to have his focus solely on playing the Texans this weekend. Given that his new incentives are tied to playing time and production, a fast start to the year would benefit all involved.