Rob Gronkowski's dissatisfaction with the Patriots has been well-documented by our Tom E. Curran and others, but despite retirement talk, he has been spotted working out at the TB12 Sports Therapy Center near Gillette Stadium, a good indication he'll be back when the Pats' offseason program begins next week.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft told Jeff Howe of the Athletic (subscription required) that any uncertainty about Gronk's status with the team is "not even an issue for me. I didn’t know about it until I read about it in the paper.”
Kraft told Howe he's seen the tight end recently at Gillette. “I was impressed that he was coming in late and doing whatever he had to do to make himself feel right and get his body right,” the owner said.
Offseason reports of dysfunction (see video above) don't seem to be bothering Kraft.
“It’s always something,” Kraft said. “My job is to try to keep things cool, have continuity, and attract the best people. And we’ve done OK over the last 24 years from where we were the [previous] 35. I can’t predict everything that is going to happen. There are acts of God. Anyone could be in a car accident, so we have to develop contingency plans for everything — coaching, players. But I’m optimistic about the future.”