Rob Gronkowski on potential NFL comeback: 'I'm done, done'
Former superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski maintained his retirement and reiterated he was “done, done.”
The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar told Kay Adams he won’t be coming back to the league, barring a superhero breaking down the theoretical door. There were rumors of Gronkowski changing his mind prior to 2022 to rejoin Tom Brady with the Bucs.
But that never came to fruition and now it looks like the future Hall of Famer can lay any other rumors to rest.
“Yes, yes, I told them I’m done, done,” Gronkowski said of his future when referencing an interview with TMZ. “I would just say like (the door to coming back), it’s like deadbolted. The door. And like there’s someone just pounding at the door and like the chance of someone breaking the door down like you got to be the Incredible Hulk to come through, to break that door.”
Gronkowski said he was happy filming commercials and doing things outside of football. He also serves as an analyst on Fox’s NFL pregame studio shows.
Gronkowski announced his retirement for the second time last summer. He initially retired from the Patriots but returned in 2020 when Brady signed with the Bucs.
“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,” Gronkowski wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Gronkowski, who starred at Arizona before heading to the NFL, battled injuries during the 2021 season, but still put up good numbers. He hauled in 55 receptions for 802 yards and six touchdowns for Tampa Bay, which finished 13-4 and fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs that season.
For his career, Gronkowski totaled 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns to cement himself as one of the game’s premier tight ends. Together, with Brady, he won four Super Bowls — three in New England with the Patriots and the one in Tampa Bay.