Welcome to first and 10, a roundup of all the (mostly) Patriots-related news you need to start your day. Grab your coffee and let’s get to it.
Welcome to Marathon Monday and the start of the offseason conditioning program. We knew that Tom Brady wasn’t going to be there for the first day of workouts. But apparently, Rob Gronkowski is going to skip Day One as well. We provided a laundry list of what this all means here, but since the news broke Sunday afternoon, I had one more thought on what’s happening.
—I believe that when it comes to Gronkowski, a lot of this is about financial posturing, at least when you consider the market. I understand that a lot of it is tied up in bonuses and guaranteed money and when each deal was signed, but the truth of the matter is that when you stack him against the other tight ends in the NFL right now, when it comes to average annual salary, the guy deserves a bump. The Herald reported Sunday night that dollars are being discussed between the two sides. If the Patriots are able to take some of the money they saved on the Brandin Cooks trade and sweeten Gronkowski’s contract, there’s a good chance this will be forgotten come the start of training camp.
--For what it's worth, here's what Phase One of the offseason conditioning program officially entails, per the NFLPA.
- It lasts two weeks, and is limited to strength and conditioning activities. Only strength and conditioning coaches allowed on field.
- 90-minute max on the field.
- Clubs can only specify 2 hours for players to be at the facility.
- Players choose the other 2 hours for weights, etc.
When you meet new #Lions coach Matt Patricia for the first time wearing a Matt Patricia shirt?
He said I fired him up so much he was going to leave the #Tigers game & head back to the office to game plan!
Incredibly nice guy & couldn't be happier to be in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/4yikaw4k3L
— Dan Leach (@DanLeach971) April 13, 2018