Patriots Gridiron News: No Trade or Retirement for Rob Gronkowski

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is rehabbing from back surgery and has every intention of playing football next season.

Does Rob Gronkowski have a future in New England? The Patriots and the Pro-Bowl tight end certainly think so. Speaking on the team’s pregame radio show Saturday night, Jonathan Kraft shot down any ideas that the team is looking to trade Gronkowski.

"“Rob’s a dependable football player,” Kraft said via WEEI. “It’s a physical game as we’ve talked about before. He’s a big guy and when big guys move at fast speeds, things can happen. But Rob’s absolutely a dependable football player and he does everything that’s asked of him. To have a guy who’s such a high quality player who works so hard, just sets a tone across the organization. A very dependable guy.”"

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As the Patriots have already prepared to move through the rest of the season without Gronkowski, the team does have him under contract through 2019. While the team can certainly decide to move on without the big target, it doesn’t appear that is in their future according to Kraft. Of course, Bill Belichick is initially the one who will make that decision.

Another way Rob Gronkowski wouldn’t be in a Patriots uniform come 2017 is if he retires. Following his third back surgery, the speculation is out there that he may have to decide between his future health and his football career. Making his first public comments since the surgery, Gronkowski told FOX’s Jay Glazer that he has every intention of playing football.

"“I highly appreciate the support from all my teammates, friends and family and the courage to stay strong,” Gronkowski told Glazer via NESN.com. “I am excited to knock out this rehab and get this core extra strong and looking super fresh to get this body back out on the field.”"

Danny Amendola: The Patriots were forced to use Danny Amendola as a punt returner and may have paid a price.

Amendola went down with an ankle injury late in the third quarter and did not return. He was later seen in the Patriots locker room wearing a protective boot and using crutches. They could force the Patriots to use Julian Edelman in the punt return game. They could also go back to Cyrus Jones. The rookie has not been reliable when it comes to protecting the ball in the return game.

Stephen Gostkowski: Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski bounced back strong in Sunday’s game. He hit all four of his field goals in the victory. During a season where he has struggled, Gostkowski credited “good faith” with his ability to battle through and find success.

"“Every week is a different challenge,” he said via CSNNE.com. “You just gotta battle. Keep your head down, stay humble, show up and control your attitude and your effort, make sure both of those are good, and have faith in the process that what you’ve been doing is going to continue to work.”"

Next: Patriots Morning Thoughts On Win Over Los Angeles Rams

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