Gronk noncommittal on return for next season
could a Super Bowl loss be the end for Rob Gronkowski?
In his postgame press conference following his team’s 41-33 loss to the Eagles Sunday night, the Patriots tight end wouldn’t dispel reports that he was considering retirement.
“I’m definitely gonna look at my future, for sure,” Gronkowski told reporters. “I’ll sit down in the next couple of weeks and see where I’m at.”
Retiring ahead of next season would present an abrupt end to the 28-yearold’s career. Gronkowski did, however, suffer a concussion in the AFC championship Game against Jacksonville, so perhaps his long-term health could be at the forefront of his concerns.
Gronkowski hauled in nine receptions for 116 yards, including two scores, in the Super Bowl loss after racking up 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 regular-season games. — Zachary Ripple
COUSINS MAY GET TAGGED
Trying to lure Kirk cousins to the Jets with plenty of green may not be so simple after all.
The team has been searching for a long-term solution at quarterback for years, and cousins — in his prime — could solve that problem.
But Washington will consider placing a franchise tag on the quarterback, according to ESPN, so the team can deal him and try to regain some of the compensation it is sending to Kansas city for alex Smith.
Meaning, cousins may not end up being the league’s top free agent after all, which would be big news to teams like the Jets, Broncos, cardinals, Browns, Bills, Jaguars and Vikings, who are in search of a solid quarterback.
However, tagging cousins would add further complications, since Washington could not trade him until he signs the franchise tag. The 29-yearold could also tell interested teams that he wouldn’t sign a long-term deal there.
Last month, the chiefs agreed to ship Smith to Washington for a thirdround pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller. The deal can’t be made official until the new league year on March 14.
— Staff report
JIMMY G CLOSE TO DEAL
Here is a Super Bowl Sunday prediction 49ers fans will love: a longterm deal with Jimmy Garoppolo reportedly could get done “in the near future.”
That is what NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport claimed Sunday morning, some 11 hours before kickoff of Super Bowl LII that pitted Garoppolo’s former team, the Patriots, against the Eagles.
The 49ers, sources told Rapoport, have gained “significant momentum” on a multi-year contract with Garoppolo, who arrived in an Oct. 30 trade and transformed the franchise with a 5-0 finish to the season.
If a long-term deal is not brokered, the 49ers have roughly four weeks to put the “franchise tag” on him — a window that opens Feb. 20 and closes March 6 — before he would otherwise become a free agent March 16. Once tagged, the 49ers would have until July 16 to resume long-term contract talks until he’d have to play 2018 under the one-year franchise tender of over $23 million. “There is work to be done over the next several days, but sources said the optimism coming from the organization has been warranted,” Rapoport wrote.