Per NBC Sports’ Tom Curran, former Patriots K Stephen Gostkowski says he’s not planning to retire at the age of 36 and plans on playing if there’s a 2020 season.
Gostkowski is hurt right now by the ongoing shutdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic which have limited the ability of teams to ensure his health. Gostkowski landed on injured reserve with a hip injury last season but said it won’t end his career.
“I’m not ready to just hang it up. I’m gonna try to play,” Gostkowski said. “It’s going to be tough to show teams what I can do right now or work out or do a physical, but I’m not too worried about it. I’m not concerned. I kind of take things day by day.”
Gostkowski tells Curran he’s in good shape and should be ready to kick for a team whenever football begins rolling again.
“I feel good. I’m starting to feel better. I’m trying to keep getting in better and better shape and I’ve probably done more so far this year as I would heading into a normal season so I feel like I’m ahead of where I usually am and I have nothing but time,” Gostkowski said.
As New England’s all-time leading scorer, Gostkowski should have no issue finding a home if his medicals check out. There are always fewer reliable kickers than there are jobs.
Gostkowski, 36, is a former fourth-round pick of the Patriots back in 2006. He finished out his four-year, $17.2 million contract before agreeing to a two-year deal worth $8.5 million last year.
Gostkowski was set to make a base salary of $3.5 million for the 2020 season when the Patriots released him.
Gostkowski has played his entire 14-year career in New England.
In 2019, Gostkowski appeared in four games for the Patriots and converted 7 of 8 field-goal attempts (87.5 percent) to go along with 11 of 15 extra-point tries (73.3 percent).
We’ll have more on Gostkowski as the news is available.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
