Rob Gronkowski Officially Retires........Most Likely
So Rob Gronkowski officially announced his retirement yesterday in an Instagram post that was 100% written by Gronk himself. Littered with grammatical mistakes and all(but who am I to judge), Gronk would thank Kraft, Belichick and all of Pats Nation for what an incredible 9 years it’s been. And oh boy what an incredible 9 years it has been.
As a Patriots fan, I obviously was hoping for a different outcome after he announced during the Superbowl that he would take of couple of weeks to determine his future. Rob Gronkowski is one of my favorite athletes ever. He has the big goofy, meathead personality but when it comes to play on the field, nobody is better. The man is simply not human, and I’m not sure we ever see somebody as dominant as him in the TE position ever again. Partying in the offseason or not, Gronk always showed up and worked his hardest for the team. Gronk could have left New England and chased the big contracts, but he was content in staying in New England and playing for the best coach and best quarterback to play the game. Gronk is one of the few players in the history of sports that has managed to have a big personality but not have it affect his team or on-field success. Simply put, Rob Gronkowksi was the ultimate teammate and ultimate player and his retirement is going to be a tough one for both the team and the fans to swallow.
Yes, Gronk’s numbers were down this year but he was still one of the best TEs in the NFL. As the number began to slip and the injuries added up, Gronk was still able to thrive in the blocking game and his ability to come up clutch when the team needed a big play never left. But, I also can’t blame him for wanting to go out on top and that’s exactly what the greatest Tight End of all time did. He capped an incredible 9 year career with a 3rd Superbowl ring in February. Rob Gronkowski may not have had the longevity of Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates but Gronkowski’s peak years and again, his ability to make big plays was simply incredible. This is also somewhat due to the fact that Gronkowski played for the best team in the league so he was always in big games but he always showed up in the big moment. I can’t remember a player in recent memory that’s had as many big time plays in any sport as Rob Gronkowski. Then you add on to that 5 time Pro Bowl, 4 time All Pro, 79 career regular season TDs plus 12 career playoff touchdowns, and you have in my opinion a first ballot hall of famer and the greatest tight end the NFL has ever seen. He was the most dominant player in his position, by quite some margin for all 9 years he was in the league. Here’s a list of some of his records.
This second dynasty run that the Pats have been on wouldn’t have been possible without Gronk and that’s obviously something us Pats fans, along with the rest of the NFL, will never forget. Behind Belichick and Brady, Gronk is next in line as important Pats players during this run. It’s sad that it’s over but all good things must come to an end and it looks like it’s over………or is it? It turns out that on ESPN this morning, Gronk’s agent said “If the team was struggling or they needed him at some point next year, and let’s just say hypothetically Tom Brady gave him a call and said ‘Rob, I need you.’ I wouldn’t be shocked if he came back to play a few games.”
Gronk’s been retired for a day and I’m already daydreaming of a return, but in the end I’m probably just getting my hopes up. Let’s be serious, we all know Gronk is showing up at Wrestlemania in a few weeks.
Here’s some of Gronk’s best moments and highlights.
Thanny