New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will face the Detroit Lions on Sunday night, but he could have been playing for them instead.
The Patriots and Lions were deep into trade discussions last offseason that peaked during the week of the draft, when the teams nearly completed a blockbuster trade involving Gronkowski, league sources told ESPN.
When Gronkowski discovered he could be traded to Detroit that week, he threatened to retire rather than go to the Lions, according to sources. Gronkowski even declined to return the Lions’ calls, according to sources.
It wasn’t that Gronkowski didn’t want to play in Detroit; he didn’t want to play anywhere other than New England, sources said. The Patriots had been discussing a trade with a few teams, and Gronkowski wouldn’t have reported to any of them, according to sources. Gronkowski wanted to play in New England, with Tom Brady, or nowhere at all.
It was at that point that Gronkowski and Patriots officials met, with the two sides discussing a plan for the Pro Bowl tight end to continue playing in New England. The Patriots then called off any proposed trade with the Lions, leaving Detroit disappointed.
The story had a happy ending for Gronkowski and the Patriots, who agreed to a reworked contract in the summer that added $4.3 million in incentives for the 2018 season. He can earn $1 million in per-game roster bonuses, plus a maximum of $3.3 million by hitting three of the following four incentives: 70 or more catches, 1,085 receiving yards, 80 percent playing time or nine or more touchdown catches.
By structuring the deal in this manner, Gronkowski’s salary-cap charge for 2018 won’t be dramatically affected, as the $3.3 million in incentives won’t increase the charge. This marks the second consecutive year the Patriots have added incentives to Gronkowski’s contract.
Gronkowski, 29, has nine catches for 138 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots’ first two games this season. He was removed from New England’s injury report Friday after being limited in Wednesday’s practice because of an ankle injury.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss contributed to this report.