The Facts: Patriots owner Robert Kraft said earlier Thursday he has hope Gronkowski will return this season. Gronkowski didn’t close the door to that possibility during his debut as an analyst on FOX. “I’ll always keep it open,” Gronkowski said on the pregame show before the Patriots played the Giants.

Diehards Line:A personal plea from Brady might convince Gronkowski to come back, something PFT reported in July. Speculation about a possible Gronkowski return heated up earlier this week when the Patriots decided to move on from Ben Watson, who was returning from a suspension. That leaves the Patriots with Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo as their only tight ends. LaCosse and Izzo have combined for seven catches through five games. Gronkowski, 30, made 521 catches for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns in nine seasons.