The New England Patriots don't appear to value Rob Gronkowski quite as much as many Pats fans do.
They're giving Romeo Doubs the jersey number that Gronk wore. It's a curious decision.
Gronkowski was one of the few best tight ends in NFL history while playing for the Patriots and wearing No. 87.
Doubs, signed in free agency, will wear 87 in the season ahead.
It was the number Doubs had with the Green Bay Packers, but nothing guarantees that a player keeps the same number with a new team.
In this case, it's a bit of a surprise that the Patriots would give Gronk's former number away.
In reality, it seems like those digits should be retired. Sure, there are only so many numbers available, but if Gronkowski's career wasn't worthy of a jersey retirement, almost none are.
Yikes: The Patriots have given new WR Romeo Doubs the jersey number 87 to wear next season...
One of the greatest players in team history, Rob Gronkowski, donned the #87 for many years.
Extremely disrespectful to Gronk 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/IWJtE7ish1
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 15, 2026
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Doubs will have a chance to make 87 an even more prominent number in Patriots history, and maybe that'll end up being a fun narrative, that whoever gets those digits performs well for the Pats.
But there will definitely be a weirdness about the whole thing, seeing someone other than Gronkowski in an 87 Patriots jersey.
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