When the Jets picked him up in 2016, Austin Seferian-Jenkins was mostly replacing Jeff Cumberland.

The stakes have been raised.

The Patriots signed the veteran tight end Wednesday, ESPN reported, as their first crack at replacing Rob Gronkowski, perhaps the best at the position in NFL history.

The 26-year-old played last year in Jacksonville, where he played in five games and caught 11 passes before a core muscle injury left him out for the season. Seferian-Jenkins had his best season a year prior, with the Jets, when he caught 50 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns.

Of course, he’s a far cry from Gronkowski, the five-time Pro Bowler who retired last month at just 29, hanging up his cleats with three Super Bowl rings and a slew of surgeries.