Sport Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski missing Patriots offseason program is not normal

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Voluntary workouts are a bit of a misnomer for the New England Patriots, which is why it was strange to hear Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski will not attend the start of the team's offseason program.

Bill Belichick teased the possibility of it (without mentioning their names) during a pre-draft press conference last week. Belichick made sure to state he would only answer questions about the draft, but he threw in some important non-draft information.

Report: Pats' Rob Gronkowski will join Tom Brady on sideline when offseason program starts

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will join quarterback Tom Brady on the sideline when voluntary offseason workouts begin Monday.Rumors and speculation have swirled around the two-time Super Bowl champion since New England lost to Philadelphia in Super Bowl LII in February.

Coming off a defeat in the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots ' offseason does not exactly lack drama. From the surprise benching of within the organization to the retirement rumors surrounding tight end Rob Gronkowski to questions about Tom Brady 's commitment beyond this year, the

NFL Offseason Workout Program Primer. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady , right, talks to New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) before an NFL football game between the Patriots and the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Dec.

"We have the voluntary offseason program that starts on Monday," Belichick said. "It will be heavily attended, but I know there are a couple players that I've talked to that have other commitments, but that's the way it always is, too. So, not really anything new there."

At the time, the comments didn't seem like much. Brady was supposed to just miss the first day due to an obligation with his charity, Best Buddies. But then reports came out that Gronk was going to miss some of the program while negotiating his contract. On Monday, news surfaced that Brady wouldn't just be missing the first day.

Even after Tom Brady returns from Qatar, I do not anticipate he will be a regular participant in team's offseason program. He plans to spend more time with family and body coach Alex Guerrero. Brady did miss parts of Pats' offseason program in 08, 09 and 10 so not unprecedented.

Gronkowski reportedly seeking more money from Patriots

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has created the impression this offseason that he is strongly considering retirement, but it is starting to look more and more like his indecisiveness has everything to do with his contract situation. Gronkowski is not expected to show up when the Patriots officially begin their offseason program on Monday. While it’s possible he is still deciding if he wants to play in 2018, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports that Gronkowski’s refusal to commit is “about the money.” As Howe notes, Gronk already wanted a new contract before he revealed that he was contemplating retirement at the conclusion of Super Bowl LII. If he no longer wanted to play football, he probably would have decided that by now. For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote on Monday that he believes Gronk’s absence from Day 1 of the offseason program is a “peaceful statement” that he wants more money, as the All-Pro tight end would be forfeiting a $250,000 bonus if he doesn’t attend 90 percent of the sessions. Gronkowski’s base salary for 2018 is $8 million. That places him among the top-paid tight ends in the NFL, but it is $2 million less than the average Jimmy Graham is getting with the three-year, $30 million deal he signed with the Green Bay Packers. Plus, Gronk makes a bigger impact in the passing game than most of the league’s top receivers, and you have guys like TY Hilton and Doug Baldwin making $13 million and $11.5 million per year, respectively.

Share Tom Brady , Rob Gronkowski lead list of Patriots ' offseason award winners. Not only will the game kick off the 2017 NFL season , it will simultaneously put an end to the quasi-football free time known as the “ offseason ”.

Patriots Off - Season Coverage. Today, they were joined on the list of players not spotted by three more starters: Quarterback Tom Brady , tight end Rob Gronkowski and safety Patrick Chung were no-shows during the portions of practice open to the media.

- Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) April 16, 2018

Brady missed parts of the offseason program from 2008-10. Attendance at offseason programs is hard to monitor, as the media isn't on-site to take roll call. For example, the Patriots' program starts Monday, but New England media so far has no availability scheduled this beyond an interview with Matthew Slater on Tuesday.

If this is Brady's first absence in eight years, that would be very significant. This is not normal.

Combine that with Gronkowski's absence. Combine that with the reports that Belichick's coaching methods are not jibing well with Brady or Gronk. The star tight end is considering retirement, but will play for more money, according to The Athletic. Brady wants to spend time with his family and Alex Guerrero more than he does with his team, according to ESPN.

The idea that Brady might be substituting the team's time with Guerrero, in particular, might not sit well with Belichick. After all, the Patriots coach banned Guerrero from working on players at Gillette Stadium, where Guerrero once had an office, according to The Boston Globe. The heavy application of the TB12 method among Patriots players has created friction between Belichick, Brady and Gronkowski, who became a loyal user of Brady and Guerrero's training and dieting techniques. Belichick went so far as to reportedly chastise Gronk over the TB12 method in front of the whole team.

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski Are Clearly Sending a Sign to Bill Belichick

<p>Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are missing the start of the Patriots' offseason workouts, and it's clear that they are sending a sign to Bill Belichick with their absences.</p>Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are missing the start of the Patriots' offseason workouts, and it's clear that they are sending a sign to Bill Belichick with their absences.

While Alan Branch will miss his third straight game, Rex Burkhead will miss his second. Mike Gillislee's absence further weakens New England's running back corps – especially with James White, who was out last week, listed as Patriots : QB Tom Brady (ankle/left shoulder), TE Rob Gronkowski (illness).

Rob Gronkowski was missing from the start of Wednesday's practice as he continues to deal with the chest issue he suffered against the Seahawks. Tags: Bill Belichick, New England Patriots , Robert Kraft, Super Bowl 52, Tom Brady , Tom E. Curran.

Patriots fans will brush off the idea that there is no significance to Brady and Gronkowski missing these actives. "They're voluntary," fans will argue. "We're talking about practice," they'll say.

But ask yourself: Does this feel like a normal offseason? And wouldn't the presence of Brady and Gronk help calm the noise that there's dysfunction in Foxborough?

Yet for some reason, the two best players in the franchise will not report. Something is not right.

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