Could Rob Gronkowski be held out until the playoffs?

The New England Patriots did something incredibly uncharacteristic for the franchise on Tuesday when they released a statement on the health of Rob Gronkowski.

“During Sunday night’s game, Rob Gronkowski sustained a bone bruise/sprain of his right knee,” the statement read. “His status will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis and listed accordingly on the practice participation and injury reports. There is no timetable for his readiness to return, which will be determined in the days or hours prior to the appropriate game. Any timetable reported prior to that final determination would be speculative.”

There is one thing about that statement that could be very telling — it was a joint statement released by the team and the Gronkowski family.

Perhaps this is a simple case of the Patriots getting ahead of speculation. Now that they have addressed the injury, Bill Belichick and all of his minions can say things like “we already released a statement on that and our focus is on (insert next opponent’s name).” Or, it could indicate that the Gronkowski family wants to make it clear that Rob won’t be rushed back onto the field.

Gronkowski’s father, Gordon, is heavily involved in Rob’s decision making and football career. There have been indications in the past that the Gronkowskis haven’t always been on the same page with the Patriots when dealing with the tight end’s numerous injuries. Don’t be surprised if Gordy pulls the strings this time around.

One thing we do know is that it seems like the early report about Gronk missing only a game at most was premature. Former NFL team doctor David J. Chao says the location of the bone bruise in Gronkowski’s knee will be key in determining how long he will be out.

Bone bruise location is key Where he was hit = quick return Deep joint bruise (from whip affect) = 4-6wks or more https://t.co/Hv6sgHYGMU

— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) December 1, 2015

New England has games remaining against the Eagles, Texans, Titans, Jets and Dolphins. Those teams currently have a combined record of 22-33. If the Patriots go 4-1 during that stretch, they are guaranteed a first-round playoff bye, because the 8-2 Bengals and Broncos still have to play each other. The Pats could conceivably go 3-2 and still get a bye, depending on what Cincinnati and Denver do.

As Shalise Manza Young of Yahoo notes, Gronkowski is due a $10 million club option on Feb. 26. If the Patriots pick up that option, it triggers the final three years and $37 million of Gronk’s deal. Perhaps Gordy doesn’t want his son playing and risking further injury, which could then put Rob’s future earning potential in jeopardy.

If you have seen the video of the hit on Gronkowski, you know how lucky he is to have avoided a season-ending injury. But if the big fella doesn’t play again until mid-January, no one should be surprised.