Fantasy Football: One Potential Cut Candidate for Every AFC Team

New England Patriots - Rob Gronkowski

Cap Savings: $10 million

Dead Money: $2 million

The New England Patriots have shown in the past that sentimentality plays very little part in their thinking with regards to personnel decisions. Think back to stalwarts such as Drew Bledsoe and Lawyer Milloy as well as more recent examples like Jamie Collins and Chandler Jones. This could resurface again this offseason with Rob Gronkowski.

Gronkowski has rarely looked healthy this season and averaged 3.6 receptions per game -- well below his career mark of 4.5. His yards per game was down to 52.5, his lowest per game output since his rookie season. Gronkowski scored a mere three touchdowns, his lowest tally in a season in which he has played at least 10 games.

On the flip side, he was not exactly awful when targeted in 2018, according to our metrics. He was one of only 19 tight ends to see 50 or more targets this season, and his Target NEP per target of 0.46 was fourth among them. Only Mark Andrews (1.09) and George Kittle (0.87) had a higher Reception NEP per target than Gronkowski’s 0.85. But the fact that 12 tight ends saw more targets than Gronk this season should give some indication as to how his role is viewed by the Patriots at this stage.

The Patriots tried but failed to send Gronkowski to the Detroit Lions prior to the season, only for the move to fall through after the player indicated that he’d retire before playing with a quarterback not named Tom Brady. They may take the decision out of his hands this time around and cut the future Hall of Famer loose. Or Gronk could make the decision for the Pats and opt to retire.

Another possible candidate for the chop is fellow tight end Dwayne Allen. Allen has been mostly a blocker since coming to New England, and the $7.4 million the team can save by cutting him would certainly be of more use spent elsewhere.