Weeks ago, reports surfaced about tight end Rob Gronkowski being unhappy last season with the New England Patriots. However, the reason behind Gronkowski’s dissatisfaction was not mentioned, but the report centered around head coach Bill Belichick. Now, Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald reported one of the reasons behind the rift between Gronkowski and Belichick. Per Guregian’s source, Gronkowski was slighted when Belichick chastised him in front of the team for his decision to train with Alex Guerrero, the personal trainer and close friend of quarterback Tom Brady.
Guregian said Belichick’s move was a warning to keep everyone who was planning to seek outside help in line. Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston also supported Guregian’s report, saying that Belichick called out Gronkowski during camp for being ineffective.
Gronkowski chastised for joining TB12
Belichick blamed Gronkowski’s change in regimen as the reason behind the drop in his performance, causing the tight end to be irritated all throughout last season. Gronkowski’s decision to shift to Guerrero paid dividends as he tallied one of the best performances of his career last season, one year removed from his third back surgery in December 2016. In 14 games last season, the 28-year-old Gronkowski tallied 69 catches for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns en route to first-team All-Pro honors.
In their Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Gronkowski received nine passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. While his future remains unclear, Gronkowski is expected to rejoin the Patriots for the 2018 season. Recently, the Patriots added some insurance at tight end, signing former Arizona Cardinal Troy Niklas to a one-year deal worth $940,000, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.
With Niklas’ signing, the Patriots now have five tight ends under contract, including Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen, Jacob Hollister and Will Tye.
Update on Mitchell, new running back
According to Reiss, wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell is training with Guerrero at TB12 Sports Therapy Center as he prepares for his comeback after missing last season with a knee injury.
Mitchell suffered the injury in the preseason and spent last season on injured reserve. Mitchell returned to practice in December, but the Patriots did not place him on the 53-man roster. The Patriots currently have 10 wide receivers on their roster, including Julian Edelman and special teams ace Matthew Slater. Recently, the Patriots hosted free agent running back Orleans Darkwa, who played the last 3 ½ seasons with the New York Giants. Last season, Darkwa ran 171 times for 751 yards and five touchdowns.
