Robert Kraft didn't seem all that nervous that his All-Pro tight end would be calling it quits soon.
During a meeting with reporters at the annual league meetings in Orlando, the Patriots chairman and CEO said he'd seen Rob Gronkowski at the Patriots facilities "after hours" a few weeks ago. Then Kraft referenced the recent dance-off video of Gronkowski jumping on Shaquille O'Neal's shoulders as proof that he's in good shape for 2018.
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"When it comes to Gronk, I’ve met a lot of people in my life, but I’ve never met anyone like him," Kraft said. "If the good Lord lets us come back as someone, I’ve said it before, he’s the most carefree, happy, up kind of guy . . .
"And I must say I sort of got excited seeing him vault up on Shaq's shoulders. For a guy that size to be able to hop up on a [7-foot-2 person] or whatever Shaq is, that’s pretty cool. So that speaks well to his potential athletic moves coming up this year."
Gronkowski is scheduled to make $8 million in base salary for 2018. He pulled in $10.75 million last season by maxing out on his incentives when he was named a First-Team All-Pro.