MINNEAPOLIS – A tweet by Pro Football Talk started the rumor before Super Bowl LII, but it seemed too crazy to believe – could Rob Gronkowski retire after Sunday night’s game?
Following the Patriots 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, however, the All-Pro tight end wouldn’t commit to playing next season. When asked about the rumor that he was considering retirement, Gronkowski looked surprised by the question.
"I don’t know how you heard [...]
MINNEAPOLIS – A tweet by Pro Football Talk started the rumor before Super Bowl LII, but it seemed too crazy to believe – could Rob Gronkowski retire after Sunday night’s game?
Following the Patriots 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, however, the All-Pro tight end wouldn’t commit to playing next season. When asked about the rumor that he was considering retirement, Gronkowski looked surprised by the question.
“I don’t know how you heard that, but I mean, I’m definitely going to look at my future, for sure,” Gronkowski said. “I’ll sit down in the next couple of weeks and see where I’m at.”
Gronkowski was outstanding this season. In 14 games, he caught 69 passes for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns. In the Super Bowl, he was dominant, catching nine passes for 116 yards and two scores. When asked about his timeline this offseason and about retirement, Gronk was again noncommittal.
“I’m not ready for that type of questions right now,” Gronkowski said. “I’m just going to sit down, reflect on the season, probably talk to my teammates, we fought all year long – all the receivers, running backs, linemen, we put all the work in together. I’m just going to reflect on the season, proud of the boys and just see what happens.”
Gronkowski did suffer a concussion in the AFC Championship game due to a helmet-to-helmet hit by Barry Church. When asked if he was considering retirement due to head trauma, Gronk replied, “no.”
Gronkowski earned $10.5 million this season. He’s on the books for two more years and set to earn a little over $10.9 million in 2018 and $12 million in 2019. The fact that he’s remotely considering retirement is a big surprise. Nevertheless, his future will be a big storyline to watch as this offseason unfolds.
“We just lost,” Gronkowski said when asked again about his potential retirement. “I just want to sit back, relax the next couple of weeks and really got nothing to say about that.”