Rob Gronkowski is going to once again hang up his cleats, as the future Hall of Fame tight end announced on his social media channels on Tuesday that he was retiring from the NFL for the second time.
— Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski) June 21, 2022
Gronkowski previously retired after the 2018 NFL season, sitting out 2019 until he got the call from Tom Brady to join him in Tampa Bay, an offer he couldn’t refuse. With the Bucs, Gronk won another Super Bowl title and added 100 catches, 1,425 yards, and 13 touchdowns to his already legendary stat line for his career. The 33-year-old walks away, at least for now, with 621 catches for 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns, which are the 12th most TD receptions of any player in NFL history.
Unsurprisingly, the reaction to Gronkowski’s latest retirement was met with similar skepticism to his previous announcement that he was done for good, as even his agent Drew Rosenhaus noted that it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Gronk returns to the Bucs at some point this season if Brady puts out the call.
In reaction to Rob Gronkowski’s news, his agent Drew Rosenhaus texts: “It would not surprise me if Tom Brady calls him during the season to come back and Rob answers the call. This is just my opinion but I wouldn’t be surprised if Rob comes back during the season or next season.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 21, 2022
Given the injuries he’s dealt with over his career, it’s hard to fault Gronk for not wanting to go through another full season and we’ll have to wait and see if he’s retired for good or if he’ll parachute in late in the year to help Brady and the Bucs chase another ring. He’s not one to suddenly fall out of football shape, but his days of playing full seasons certainly seem to be done. If this is it for Gronk on the football field, the next stop will be Canton, Ohio.