Rob Gronkowski signs $54 million deal with New England Patriots.
All-Pro Rob Gronkowski agreed Friday to a $54 million deal with the New England Patriots, the richest contract for an NFL tight end. The six-year deal includes $18.17 million guaranteed. It is a big move by the team for a player entering just his third NFL season. Gronkowski set a league record for the position with 17 touchdown catches in 2011. He also had a record 1,327 yards and 90 receptions. Gronkowski is coming off left ankle surgery, an injury that slowed him in New England’s loss to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Gronkowski, selected in the second round in 2010, had two more years left on his contract. Gronkowski, 23, was tough to cover while healthy last season. He combined with fellow second-year tight end Aaron Hernandez and slot receiver Wes Walker — the league’s leading receiver — to help New England go 13-3 and score an AFC-high 513 points.
The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a two-year contract with former Cincinnati Bengals starting offensive guard Bobbie Williams (Arkansas Razorbacks). Williams, who has started 130 career games, fractured his right ankle against the Houston Texans last season and ended the year on injured reserve. Williams, 35, could step in as a potential replacement for Pro Bowl offensive guard Ben Grubbs, who signed a $36 million deal with the New Orleans Saints. Williams will compete at left guard with rookie second-round pick Kelechi Osemele and former thirdround pick Jah Reid.
The San Diego Chargers said they have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with running back Ronnie Brown. The 6-0, 230-pound Brown ran for 136 yards and one touchdown last season while backing up LeSean McCoy with the Philadelphia Eagles. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft, Brown spent his first six seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He ran for 4,815 yards and 36 touchdowns and caught 184 passes for 1,491 yards and 2 touchdowns while with Miami.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs will get his entire $4.9 million salary in 2012 regardless of how he tore his Achilles tendon, team owner Steve Bisciotti said Friday. Suggs sustained the injury in April. He insists it happened while he was running through a conditioning drill, but several witnesses say he was hurt playing basketball in Arizona. Bisciotti doesn’t care. “I would be more upset if he hurt himself sleeping on the couch all offseason,” he said. “If our players are engaged in activities that get them in shape, then I’m proud of them for doing it. I don’t know if I would be working out in April the way these guys do what they do. I’m proud of Terrell.” Suggs immediately underwent surgery and hopes to be playing again sometime this season. Under the NFL collective bargaining agreement, the Ravens could have chosen to not pay Suggs entirely or reduce his salary because it was a non-football injury.
A second arbitrator ruled Friday that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has the authority to discipline New Orleans Saints players for their roles in a bounty program. The players’ union claimed Goodell is prohibited from punishing players for any conduct before the CBA was signed last August. The union also sought to have player appeals heard by Art Shell and Ted Cottrell, who are jointly appointed by the league and union to review discipline handed out for on-field conduct. But arbitrator Shyam Das ruled Friday that Goodell is entitled to hand out the punishment and hear any appeals in the matter. Arbitrator Stephen Burbank ruled the same way Monday in a different grievance claim brought by the NFLPA, and the union said it would appeal. Goodell suspended Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma for the entire 2012 season and defensive end Will Smith for four games. Former Saints defensive end Anthony Hargrove, now with Green Bay, was suspended for eight games, while linebacker Scott Fujita, now with Cleveland, was suspended three games. All four players appealed, and the league has set June 18 as the hearing date.