Rob Gronkowski Would Have To Apply For Reinstatement Before Week 14 To Rejoin Patriots

As explained by Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, retired Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski would have to apply for reinstatement by Dec. 7 to be eligible to play at all in the 2019 regular season or postseason. 

La Canfora mentions that there are specific regulations that apply to Gronkowski’s situation, given that he was placed on the reserve/retired list prior to the start of training camp.

A league source tells La Canfora that a player on the reserve/retired list who requested reinstatement prior to the trade deadline (Oct. 29) would have to be granted that opportunity. If a player on the retired list were to wait until after the trade deadline, the team would have the option of accepting or declining the request.

However, La Canfora says that a player on the retired list cannot request reinstatement after the team’s 13th game, which would the Patriots’ Week 14 matchup with the Chiefs on Dec. 8. 

This means that if Gronkowski were planning to rejoin the Patriots for a playoff run, he would have to file for reinstatement to the NFL by Friday Dec. 6. 

Both Gronkowski and Patriots owner Robert Kraft recently left the door open to a potential return and Gronkowski has yet to file his retirement papers. Although, multiple sources have told La Canfora that not filing the retirement paperwork is essentially irrelevant.

The Patriots could really use Gronkowski in their offense, as they have a number of receivers dealing with injuries and there are concerns about their tight end depth. 

Gronkowski recently joined FOX Sports as an analyst, but this job wouldn’t prevent him from returning to the NFL at some point. 

Gronkowski, 29, is a former second-round pick of the Patriots back in 2010. He was in the sixth year of his eight-year, $55.23 million contract that included $13.17 million guaranteed.

For his career, Gronkowski has caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards receiving and 79 touchdowns for the Patriots over the course of nine seasons and 115 games. He has been a five-time Pro Bowler and a made four first-team All-Pros. He was also the Comeback Player of the Year in 2014.