With Devin McCourty and Gronk in limbo, who else could be playing final game as a Patriot?

ATLANTA — Rob Gronkowski is already on record as not commenting about the possibility of playing in 2019. Devin McCourty raised some eyebrows on Monday when he said he was unsure of his status for next season. And that doesn’t even begin to take into account the number of players who could be unrestricted free agents when the new league year begins in March.

Bill Belichick likes to remind people the only thing that’s constant in the NFL is change, and with that in mind, it’s worth noting Sunday could very well represent the last game in a Patriots’ uniform for a number of players.

Let’s take a look at a few of the guys whose status for 2019 could be up in the air at this point. (For purposes of this exercise, we’re going to assume Belichick, Tom Brady and Julian Edelman are all coming back.)


Rob Gronkowski: The big tight end, who speculated about the possibility of retirement after last year’s Super Bowl, has been noncommittal about 2019, at least at this point. Earlier this year, he said he would have retired last offseason if the Patriots had dealt him Detroit because Brady was the only quarterback he ever wanted to play for. No other pass catcher has tied himself to Brady in such a fashion, and I have to believe if the quarterback (and Josh McDaniels) leaned on him for one more year, he’d come back for 2019, even after a potential pay cut.

Devin McCourty: I could envision McCourty retiring after the 2018 season, particularly if the Patriots beat the Rams. The veteran defensive back would have three rings (including one with his twin brother), enough money to take care of his children and grandchildren, and would be ready to slide into a TV career. This one remains up in the air, especially because he might end up taking a pay cut if he does decide to return because of a sizable cap number. If he decides it's not worth the hassle and he's checked off all the boxes when it comes to his playing career, he could easily decide to say that's it.

Dont’a Hightower: In my experience, Hightower will return for 2019, but could also end up taking a paycut. He’s a guy who was thrilled to be able to stay healthy for the bulk of the 2018 season and would like to improve upon that going forward.