A charitable individual with a vibrant personality that balled out on the gridiron is the best way to describe Rob Gronkowski. The league lost a great one today. After 11 outstanding NFL seasons, Rob Gronkowski has decided to hang up his cleats…for the second time.
Coming out of Arizona, his draft stock dropped due to injuries and he fell right into the Patriots hands. New England drafted him 42nd overall in the 2010 draft, and it was all history from there. In the eyes of many fans, Gronk will go down as the greatest tight end to ever play football; and I have to agree with that. He made four All-Pro teams and five Pro Bowl teams while also being a key factor in four Super Bowl Titles. He even earned a spot on both the “2010s All Decade Team” and “NFL 100th Anniversary Team”. The only other tight ends on that list were Mike Ditka, John Mackey, Kellen Winslow, and Tony Gonzalez.
Even if you wanted to take his accolades out of the conversation and look at stats, he dominates any other tight end from any era. In 2011, he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 17. In addition to that, he has the most 100 yard games by any tight end with 32 and the most receiving touchdowns in the post season by a tight end with 15. He also has the most iconic celebration ever; the Gronk Spike.
Off the field, Gronk is a jack of all trades. He competed in the WWE following his first retirement stint in 2020 and won the 24/7 Championship. Gronk has tried his hand at standup, which wasn’t great, but he gave it a shot. He has also been very active in many charities like Make-A-Wish, the Patriots Foundation, and donated more than 20,000 pieces of PPE equipment to front line workers during Covid-19. Truly a stand up individual. It’ll stink not seeing Gronk play on Sundays, but I can at least say I saw him in his prime; and man was that fun. Happy retirement Gronk.