Rob Gronkowski’s one-game suspension could be extremely costly

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is going to have to forfeit one game check if he loses his appeal and is suspended for Week 14, but the weekly paycheck he is giving up represents only a fraction of how costly the punishment could be.

A one-game suspension will cost Gronkowski his $250,000 game check and $31,250 game-day roster bonus, but that only tells part of the story. This past offseason, Gronkowski and the Patriots agreed to a new contract that is loaded with incentives. The idea behind the deal was for Gronkowski to be paid like one of the top tight ends in football as long as he can remain healthy, which has proven next to impossible for him at various points throughout his career.

The incentives are broken down into three tiers. Gronkowski earned a $1 million incentive during Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Bills when he eclipsed the 800-yard receiving mark. That was one of four ways — along with scoring 10 touchdowns, catching at least 60 passes and playing 70 percent of New England’s offensive snaps — that Gronk was able to earn that $1 million.

For his next escalator, Gronkowski can earn an additional $3 million in one of the following four ways: Scoring 12 or more touchdowns, catching 70 or more passes, eclipsing the 1,000-yard receiving mark or playing 80 percent of the offensive snaps. The third tier, which is worth $5.5 million, requires Gronk to do one or more of the following: Score at least 14 touchdowns, catch 80 or more passes, rack up 1,200 or more receiving yards, play 90 percent of the offensive snaps, or be named a first-team All-Pro.

There are four games remaining in the season, and Gronkowski is likely only going to play in three of them at most. So far, he has caught 55 passes for 849 yards and seven touchdowns. He has a very good chance of catching at least 15 more passes for 151 more yards if he plays in all three of the games in which he is eligible, so the $3.5 million incentive is still within reach. The $5.5 million escalator just got a lot tougher to attain.

The Patriots still have to travel to face the Steelers in Week 15. If they win that game and find themselves wrapping up the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC before Week 16 or 17, there’s a good chance Bill Belichick will hold the oft-injured Gronkowski out of at least the final game of the season. Even if it didn’t make sense for Gronk’s wallet, that would be the smartest thing to do for the team heading into the postseason.

Gronkowski playing in 90 percent of the Patriots’ snaps is already out of reach, so he may have to catch 25 more passes, score seven more touchdowns or rack up at least 351 receiving yards in just two or three games. That seems like a very tall task. In order for Gronk to be named a first-team All-Pro, he would have to hold off Travis Kelce (66 catches, 871 yards, 7 TDs) and Zach Ertz (57 catches, 663 yards, 7 TDs). Gronkowski is a better blocker than both Kelce and Ertz, but it will be tough for him to match their numbers if he misses at least one of the final four games.

Of course, Gronkowski could have thought of all that before he threw one of the dirtiest shots of the year at Tre’Davious White. If being suspended for a game ends up costing Gronk millions, he has no one to blame but himself.