Rob Gronkowski announces retirement after 11 NFL seasons

After making a comeback for two years, tight end Rob Gronkowski has retired once again from the NFL, a winner of four Super Bowls.

Rob Gronkowski has five years before he walks into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Gronkowski, 33, has decided to retire once more from the NFL, something he also did following the 2018 campaign. A former second-round pick out of Arizona, Gronkowski became arguably the greatest to ever play tight end, racking up 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns while earning five Pro Bowl berths and four First-Team All-Pro honors with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Gronkowski’s best year was 2011, his second in the league, when he totaled 90 receptions for 1,327 yards and 17 touchdowns, all career highs.

Rob Gronkowski retires from NFL after playing 11 seasons

On Instagram, Gronkowski addressed fans in a caption to his photo:

“In college, I was asked to write about a dream job opportunity that I wanted to pursue and where the location would be. Every time I had to write about my future, no matter what, I picked being a professional football player. For that assignment though, we had to pick the location. So I wrote that I wanted to play in Tampa for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for many reasons, the sunny weather being #1. I completely forgot about writing this report until 2 years ago when I had the opportunity to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And let me tell ya, the journey in Tampa over the last 2 years has blown away what I originally wrote about in college, big time. And for this, I want to thank the whole entire first class Buccaneers organization for an amazing ride, trusting me to come back to play and help build a championship team. I will now be going back into my retirement home, walking away from football again with my head held high knowing I gave it everything I had, good or bad, every time I stepped out on the field. The friendships and relationships I have made will last forever, and I appreciate every single one of my teammates and coaches for giving everything they had as well. From retirement, back to football and winning another championship and now back to chilling out, thank you to all. Buccaneers fans, the Krewe, without you guys, none of this is possible, all of ya brought it every game, thank you for all you do. Cheers to what’s next, maybe sailing the seas Arghhhhhh!!”

Following his decision to unretire, Gronkowski rejoined quarterback Tom Brady with the  Buccaneers and won the Super Bowl in 2020, scoring a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium.

Of course, it’s fair to wonder if Gronkowski will stay retired. Even Gronk’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has his doubts.

For now, though, the clock ticks on Gronkowski’s speech at Canton.

Much like his career, it’ll be memorable.