The New England Patriots have signed Andrew Hawkins to a one-year deal.

"I'm super excited about the opportunity to join the reigning football champions. I exited Cleveland, and I said it was about joining a contender and the Patriots are the contender, the reigning champs. The program is top-notch and you get the opportunity to play with the best quarterback and the best coach in NFL history," said Hawkins.

Hawkins, 31, worked out for the team last week. He most recently made headlines by earning his master's degree from Columbia with a 4.0 GPA.

The Browns had released him on Feb. 27 in a move the wide receiver agreed was best for all parties.

The New England Patriots have restructured Rob Gronkowski's contract for the 2017 season, giving him the chance to become the NFL's highest-paid tight end through incentives.

The new deal will give Gronkowski a chance to boost his salary this year from $5.25 million to $10.75 million.

Gronkowski, 28, hasn't played a 16-game season since 2011. Including the playoffs, he has missed 30 of the team's 92 games over the past five seasons.

Tom Brady didn't suffer from a concussion during the 2016 season, according to agent Don Yee.

"Tom was not diagnosed with a concussion last year," Yee said. "Many of the protocols and safeguards still are evolving, and it's obviously a good thing the organization and everyone close to him is vigilant and always looking out for his health."

Brady's health came into question after his wife, Gisele Bundchen, said earlier this week on CBS This Morning that Brady "had a concussion last year." She also alluded to more concussions throughout the quarterback's career.

On Wednesday, a league spokesman also responded to the matter saying "there are no records that indicate that Mr. Brady suffered a head injury or concussion, or exhibited or complained of concussion symptoms."

Tom Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, says he has a history of concussions, including one suffered last year during the New England Patriots' run to the Super Bowl.

"He had a concussion last year. He has concussions pretty much every -- I mean, we don't talk about it. He does have concussions," Bundchen said on "CBS This Morning" on Wednesday. "I don't really think it's a healthy thing for a body to go through that kind of aggression all the time. That could not be healthy for you."

The Patriots did not list Brady as having a concussion at any point in the 2016 season.

In a statement issued later Wednesday, the NFL said records it reviewed did not indicate Brady had suffered any type of head ailment.

"We have reviewed all reports relating to Tom Brady from the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants and certified athletic trainer spotters who worked at Patriots' home and away 2016 season games as well as club injury reports that were sent to the league office," an NFL spokesman said. "There are no records that indicate that Mr. Brady suffered a head injury or concussion, or exhibited or complained of concussion symptoms."

The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to a one-year deal with LeGarrette Blount.

The deal is worth up to $2.8 million, with a base value of $1.25 million and incentives worth upward of $1.55 million, according to a source.

The New England Patriots had issued an unrestricted free-agent tender potentially worth $2.1 million to Blount last week before the May 9 deadline that ensured the running back will count toward the 2018 compensatory pick formula.

Tom Brady has been selected to be on the cover of "Madden NFL 18," becoming the oldest player to appear on the cover of the popular EA Sports game.

Brady, who will turn 40 in August, grew up a few miles away from where Electronic Arts opened in his hometown of San Mateo, California.

"When this all came about," Brady told ESPN, "I thought, 'How cool is that to do this, knowing when I was a kid in high school I was tagging along down there, working out where it all started?' It's been such a great game over a long period of time. I played it so much when I was younger, a little less now. ... My son Jack loves beating up on me."

Last year's game featured Brady's New England Patriots' teammate Rob Gronkowski on the cover.

The New England Patriots have agreed to a three-year contract extension with starting center David Andrews, according to sources.

Andrews is now under contract through the 2020 season. He was scheduled to become a restricted free agent after the year.

He made New England's roster as an undrafted free agent in 2015 out of the University of Georgia.

Stephon Gilmore will wear No. 24 with the New England Patriots after wrestling the number away from Cyrus Jones.

"I just asked him, 'Can we do it?' and we just came to the conclusion that we were going to switch," Gilmore said. "He was genuine enough to do it so I was happy for it."

Gilmore wouldn't reveal whether he gave Jones anything for the number.

"We just — we talked about it," the cornerback said. "I already knew him from previous years. We just made a decision that we would make it happen."

The Patriots signed Gilmore away from the Buffalo Bills in free agency.

The New England Patriots have issued an unrestricted free agent tender to LeGarrette Blount, according to a league source.

The tender, which is seldom-used, means that if Blount remains unsigned past July 22, he can only play for the Patriots next season.

If he signs before that date with another team, Blount would count toward the 2018 compensatory draft pick formula.

The tender had to be extended by May 9.

A judge ruled Tuesday that Aaron Hernandez's conviction in a 2013 murder can be erased because he died before his appeal was heard.

A legal doctrine that calls for vacating convictions when a defendant dies before an appeal can be heard was binding precedent, Judge E. Susan Garsh said.

Hernandez hanged himself in his prison cell last month while serving a life sentence on a first-degree murder conviction in the death of Odin Lloyd. He died five days after being acquitted in a separate double slaying in 2012.