New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is recovering from a torn ACL and surgery in December. Given his recent run of injuries, the former All-Pro is not making any promises regarding his return.
Last offseason, Gronkowski was a regular in the operating room. He required multiple surgeries to repair back and forearm injuries — and clear up an infection that became a major setback and kept him out of the 2013 season opener — and is being cautious not to encounter unwanted delays this time around.
Gronkowski would not declare himself ready for training camp or even the 2014 regular-season opener. He underwent surgery on Jan. 9 for ACL reconstruction and in February had a torn MCL repaired.
—The Miami Dolphins announced Tuesday that the team exercised a fifth-year option on Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey’s rookie contract.
The extension runs through the 2015 season for the No. 15 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Per the terms of his rookie deal, Pouncey will earn a base salary of $1.64 million next season.
Pouncey has made 46 career starts in three NFL seasons and was named to the Pro Bowl this past year, becoming the first Miami center to gain Pro Bowl recognition since Tim Ruddy in 2000. The franchise’s other Pro Bowl centers are Hall of Famers Jim Langer (1973-78) and Dwight Stephenson (1983-87).
—Safety Earl Thomas reached agreement on a four-year contract extension with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday.
The team did not disclose financial terms of the deal, but ESPN reported that Thomas will receive $27.75 million guaranteed and the average value is $10 million per year, which would make him the NFL’s highest-paid safety.
The 24-year-old Thomas has been named to the Pro Bowl in three of his first four seasons with the Seahawks. He had 105 tackles and five interceptions last season for the Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
—New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram lobbied for the team to pick up his fifth-year option in 2015, but the team is leaning the other direction ahead of Saturday’s deadline.
Ingram would earn $6.97 million in base salary in 2015 as a first-round pick in 2011 should the Saints choose to pick up the final year — a team option for first-rounders — of his contract.
Ingram has not performed up to expectations with New Orleans using a deep rotation at running back led by Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in March. Ingram missed five games last season with a toe injury. He rushed for 386 yards and one touchdown.
—Former Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby accepted a guilty plea for having “physical control” of a vehicle while under the influence, settling a legal matter before the first-round prospect learns his fate in the May 8 NFL Draft.
Roby was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated last weekend when police found him asleep in his car in a parking lot. The police report said he failed a subsequent field sobriety test. Roby and his attorney said otherwise, but Perrett released a statement Tuesday outlining the reasons for accepting the lesser charge, a non-moving violation that will not appear on his driving record.