Buffalo Bills: Will they target Rob Gronkowski if he’s cut?
By James Reeve
The Buffalo Bills look set to part ways with tight end Charles Clay after the 2018 season and Rob Gronkowski could be available as a replacement.
Rob Gronkowski is playing through one of his worst seasons with the New England Patriots and could be cut by the team in the off-season, paving the way for a move by the Buffalo Bills.
In 11 games so far this season, Gronkowski has 658 receiving yards and just three touchdowns, down over 400 yards and five touchdowns from last season’s run to the Super Bowl.
As I tweeted, retirement is most likely scenario for Gronk if he’s cut by NE. But Bills should still call him if he’s available. Not in his prime but not washed up. 7th in @PFF’s yds-per-route run (1.89) among TEs. Was 1st in that stat among TEs with more than 30 tgts in ‘17.
— Chris Trapasso 🏈 (@ChrisTrapasso) December 18, 2018
Now talk has turned to the possibility of head coach Bill Belichick walking away from one of the best tight ends in recent history.
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Chris Trapasso, a CBS Sports NFL Draft Writer and contributor for The Buffalo News, tweeted a number of reasons why he believes Gronkowski could become a free agent after the 2018 season.
Gronkowski comes from Amherst in Upstate New York, around 20 minutes away from Buffalo, and could be willing to return home if he finds himself let go by the Patriots and still has the drive to play in the NFL.
That will be the biggest deciding factor with Gronkowski, as there was talk even before this season that the 29-year-old could walk away from the game.
If Gronkowski wishes for a new challenge in the league, the Bills could certainly provide that.
He would be closer to his family but equally, he would be helping a young Josh Allen to develop, giving him a towering weapon on offense – something that Clay has failed to provide this season.
Gronkowski might not be able to help the Bills to a Super Bowl, but his experience and ball-catching ability could help Allen and the team’s young receivers progress their careers.
Zay Jones is the team’s number one receiving threat, but there are questions outside of him; having a player who has 7,837 career receiving yards and 79 receiving touchdowns could go a long way to helping the young Bills offense develop.
While retirement is still the most likely avenue for Gronkowski, should he be cut, it would still be an interesting turn of events to see him suit up for the Buffalo Bills come September 2019.
Next. Looking to the future with LeSean McCoy. dark
What do you think Bills Mafia? Would you be pleased if the team could persuade Gronkowski to keep playing and join the team, if he is cut by the Patriots? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!