Ex-NFL star Rob Gronkowski speaks out on the trade rumours surrounding Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. The longtime star of the franchise calls reports of a split with head coach Bill Belichick “fake news. “

With this report Mike Florio of “ProFootballTalk” put the media landscape around the NFL as well as fans in an uproar. Head coach Bill Belichick would have thrown out the 2021 first-round pick and already offered his starter to various teams in trade talks this offseason.

But for longtime franchise star Rob Gronkowski, there’s no truth to the rumours. “I think it was fake news. There’s just too much turnover this year. I mean, Belichick already hired a new offensive coordinator,” the franchise’s former star tight end insisted on the “Up & Adams Show” on “FanDuelTV. “

The team wouldn’t be doing itself any favors by retooling too many roster spots at once. “The entire offensive staff was shuffled around this year, and then when you send your quarterback away, that’s just too many personnel changes for one offseason to be competitive the following year. So I don’t think that’s real news,” the 33-year-old said.

New England Patriots: New offense under Billy O’Brien under pressure to succeed

After next season, however, opinions on the quarterback within the franchise could change and a trade could very well be considered. “But in the future, if Mac Jones doesn’t get it done this year with Billy O’Brien and all that, I could see that being a possibility after this season, but I don’t think that’s been the case so far this offseason and I’m going to have to chalk that up to Fake News.”

In the wake of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ move before last season to the Las Vegas Raiders, where he took over as head coach, Jones struggled mightily in his second year as New England’s starting quarterback.

However, the young playmaker was then defended from many quarters against the backdrop of Matt Patricia, a former defensive coordinator, calling the plays in an offensive staff cobbled together by Belichick last season, and the installation of Joe Judge as quarterback coach, which is said to have backfired.

The 24-year-old unsurprisingly failed to replicate the strong numbers of his rookie season, completing just 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,997 yards and 14 touchdowns with 11 interceptions in 14 appearances for New England last season.