Reports indicated earlier this week that the Patriots were considering reworking Rob Gronkowski‘s contract and adding a year to it. In the process, the Patriots would bump Gronkowski’s salary up in each of the next two seasons.

Gronkowski is under contract for two more seasons at a base salary of $8 million in 2018 and $9 million in 2019. He is a bargain at those numbers and has clearly out produced his contract.

The Patriots should give Gronkowski more money. He deserves it based on his on field performance. I am sure Bill Belichick and the coaching staff could do without some of his off the field antics but he deserves a raise.

Gronkowski is the best tight end in the NFL and one of the top skill players in the game. When you compare him to his contemporaries at either tight end or wide receiver, he is woefully underpaid.

The Patriots are tight with the purse strings but Gronkowski is too big a part of this offense not to pay. Sure, they have won a Super Bowl without him but Belichick and Tom Brady knows what he means to the offense when he’s healthy.

I know the idea of giving Gronkowski more money may seem counter to the Patriots business model, especially given his injury history. However Gronkowski deserves it. He is an important part of the equation in 2018. If the Patriots want to get back to the Super Bowl this upcoming season, they are going to need him.