
In one of the lesser surprising announcements of the offseason, Rob Gronkowski has decided to call it a career after 9 seasons with the New England Patriots. Gronkowski has won 3 Super Bowls and been to 5 Pro Bowls during his career with the Patriots, as well as holding many NFL records. He announced his retirement on Sunday afternoon via Instagram:
There are lots of mixed emotions about this retirement. Gronk, as he is known as, had an exceptional career as a tight end. Gronk is third on the list of most reception TDs before turning 30, just behind Randy Moss and Jerry Rice.
Aside from his play on the field, Gronk has been an absolute gem for the Patriots, throughout his entire time with the team. Gronk is a charismatic, hardworking, crazy athletic individual who never took himself too seriously. Case in point here:
This is such a large piece of what makes Gronk such an amazing piece to have on the team. He works his ass off, yet doesn’t take himself too seriously, even though he has won a ton of rings. People ask the question constantly about whether Gronk would have had the career that he had without Tom Brady. This is such a lazy question, if you’ve ever looked at his numbers, as a pass catcher and blocker.
I will never forget during the NFL playoffs in 2013, the mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino (who always desperately tried to appear as the common man, and not an elitist prick) mispronounced his nickname during a speech, by referring to “Wilcock and Gonk”. He was referring to Vince Wilfork and Gronk, but just couldn’t quite get the names right. I’ve pretty much referred to him as “Gonk”, since then, even though almost nobody gets the joke anymore.
The retirement of Rob Gronkowski is a sad day for the Patriots, as well as the NFL. Gronk has always been a model player and set a positive example in a league that needs all of the help that it can get when it comes to public relations. I don’t think that anyone who follows him closely is surprised about this move. He has been flirting with the idea for a couple of seasons now. But now it is official.
I can’t wait to see if they try to get him in the booth. I mean, he can’t be worse than Jason Witten….right?