Rob Gronkowski, Patriots reportedly making progress on reworked contract

Gronk should be back in the fold pretty quickly if the Pats give him more money

The reality of the Rob Gronkowski's situation this offseason, which has kept the all-galaxy tight end away from the Patriots offseason workouts, is that he wants more money. We can talk about tensions and trainers, but cold, hard cash and a clear appreciation for Gronk as the game's best tight end would solve any issues pretty quickly.

Good news, Pats fans: the team and Gronk are reportedly "closing in" on a reworked contract, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic Boston. 

It's not known, per Howe, whether Gronk will be signing an extension or simply getting a raise. Howe writes the two sides "have made strides toward a new contract, to the point where it's now likely Gronk will play the 2018 season under new terms."

Part of the problem for Gronk is the Patriots cannot, per NFL rules, restructure his contract twice in the same year. Last year on May 23, the Patriots restructured Gronk's contract to make him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. 

Gronk, who missed the final eight weeks of the 2016 season with a back injury, rewarded the Patriots with a dominant season in 2017. The tight end managed to catch 69 passes for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns despite only playing in 14 games. He missed one for injury and one for a flagrantly dumb hit on Bills corner Tre'Davious White that got him a one-game suspension. 

After an offseason that saw some contracts shifted and players move locations, Gronk is the fourth-highest-paid tight end in the NFL by average annual value, behind Jimmy Graham ($10 million per year from the Packers as a free agent), Travis Kelce of the Chiefs and Jordan Reed of the Redskins. 

Gronkowski recently told Bill Belichick that he does intend to play in 2018 -- there were increasing concerns this offseason that the tight end might walk away from football, perhaps even to pursue a WWE career or an acting career -- and as a result, per Howe, the "tenor of [the contract] discussions has been positive" between the Patriots and Gronkowski's camp.

There are still issues for the Patriots to work out with quarterback Tom Brady, who is also absent from OTAs so far, but at the end of the day, Gronk and Brady were both always going to come back for the 2018 season and make another run at a Super Bowl.

Both guys likely realize the end is nigh, however, and would like to ensure they maximize their earnings before walking away from football. It looks as if Gronk is going to do just that this offseason.