Former Patriots, Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski makes interesting pick for next Browns QB

Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rob Gronkowski has an intriguing pick for the next quarterback of the Cleveland Browns.

Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski thinks the next Cleveland Browns starting quarterback should be … Mac Jones.

Now I know what you’re thinking and yes, Jones is still the Patriots’ starting quarterback. But Jones reportedly lost the Patriots locker room this year and especially after Bill Belichick benched him for Bailey Zappe in the Week 10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

So, according to Gronkowski, Jones should ask the Patriots to release him and then sign with the Browns (which is, coincidentally, the team that fired Belichick from his first NFL head coaching job in 1995).

“I think Mac Jones should ultimately – even right now – ask for his release,” Gronkowski said Wednesday on the Up & Adams show. “And then if it’s granted, he should go sign with the Cleveland Browns and start a new career. They need a quarterback. I think he would fit.”

The second part is right: Cleveland does need an experienced starter after the team announced Deshaun Watson would undergo season-ending shoulder surgery next week. Head coach Kevin Stefanski tapped Dorian Thompson-Robinson to start Week 11, but the fifth-round rookie’s first start in Week 4 was a disaster. The playoff-minded Browns need to keep winning if they want a shot at the postseason, and the current depth chart of Thompson-Robinson and P.J. Walker isn’t very exciting.

But the likelihood of Jones being released is slim to non. The Patriots have no obligation to let him go for nothing, especially given Jones has one more season of his rookie deal left. There’s inherent value in a cheap, experienced and relatively young quarterback – even if it’s a minimal return in an offseason trade.

Jones wouldn’t necessarily be better than anyone the Browns have on their roster, either. Thompson-Robinson and Walker both know the Browns’ offense and have played in its system for weeks. Jones hasn’t. Now, there aren’t really any better quarterbacks on the free agent market (except perhaps Tom Brady), but those are tangible options. Jones isn’t unless the Patriots do the unthinkable and release him.

Keep dreaming, Gronk.

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