Ian Rapoport reports that the Patriots have been doing due diligence on free agent TE Jared Cook.
Michael Giardi mentions that the Patriots are operating under the assumption that Rob Gronkowski will be back in 2019.
Rapoport adds that people close to Gronkowski believes there’a better chance he returns than he decided to hang it up.
Either way, the Patriots are clearly making sure they have some contingency options in place if Gronkowski opts for retirement.
Cook, 31, is a former third-round pick by the Titans in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played out his rookie contract with Tennessee before signing a big-money deal with the Rams as a free agent back in 2013.
After he was released by the Rams, the Packers signed Cook to a one-year, $2.75 million back in 2016. Cook would later depart Green Bay the following year and agree to a two-year, $12.2 million contract with the Raiders.
In 2018, Cook played all 16 games for the Raiders and caught 68 passes for 896 yards receiving and six touchdowns.
We have him featured in our Top 100 Available Free Agents list.
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