Patriots' Rob Gronkowski to undergo back surgery Friday

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will undergo back surgery on Friday, per Profootballtalk.

What It Means:

Gronk is reportedly dealing with a ruptured disk, and the surgery is expected to sideline him for about eight weeks, making a return even for the Superbowl far from guaranteed.

Gronkowski's 1.32 Reception Net Expected Points per target this season are by far the highest mark among the 39 tight ends that have seen at least 25 targets on the year, and his absence will be a big blow for the Patriots' offense.