The New England Patriots were reportedly left "shocked" by Sunday's news that came through, which was that tight end Rob Gronkowski has announced his retirement. "Gronk" made the announcement on Instagram Sunday afternoon, this after spending nine seasons in the NFL, all of which have been with the Patriots. Gronkowski also called Patriots owner Robert Kraft to inform him of the news, and he was honored by now former teammate, Tom Brady, who even used a goat emoji in his post on Twitter.
The tight end finishes with 79 touchdown receptions since he was selected in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, which leads the NFL in that span. He has had 10 or more touchdown receptions in five separate seasons, which is the most by a tight end in NFL history. Over 115 regular season games, Gronkowski caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards, and also participated in 16 playoff games. In those contests, he recorded 81 receptions for 1,163 yards, and 12 touchdowns, which are all the most all-time for a tight end in league history.
His 12 postseason touchdowns are tied for second in NFL history by all players, only behind Jerry Rice, who had 22 of them with the San Francisco 49ers. Gronkowski was also known for his blocking game, which added to his importance, as he will also go down as one of the most colorful personalities in NFL history. He had four-career 100-yard receiving games in the playoffs, which ties him with Vernon Davis and Keith Jackson for most by a tight end.
Despite his record-breaking numbers at that position, Gronkowski has dealt with numerous injuries over the past few seasons, which reportedly took a toll on him and had a major part in this announcement. He talked about it during Super Bowl week, heading in to the game against the Los Angeles Rams in February, which he nearly missed due to injury, That ended up being his third Super Bowl win, and fifth appearance, with the Pats. The 29-year-old, who will turn 30 on May 14th, will now be able to take care of his body, but something tells me we have not seen the last of him in the NFL, or in the sports and entertainment world overall.
The tight end finishes with 79 touchdown receptions since he was selected in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, which leads the NFL in that span. He has had 10 or more touchdown receptions in five separate seasons, which is the most by a tight end in NFL history. Over 115 regular season games, Gronkowski caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards, and also participated in 16 playoff games. In those contests, he recorded 81 receptions for 1,163 yards, and 12 touchdowns, which are all the most all-time for a tight end in league history.
His 12 postseason touchdowns are tied for second in NFL history by all players, only behind Jerry Rice, who had 22 of them with the San Francisco 49ers. Gronkowski was also known for his blocking game, which added to his importance, as he will also go down as one of the most colorful personalities in NFL history. He had four-career 100-yard receiving games in the playoffs, which ties him with Vernon Davis and Keith Jackson for most by a tight end.
Despite his record-breaking numbers at that position, Gronkowski has dealt with numerous injuries over the past few seasons, which reportedly took a toll on him and had a major part in this announcement. He talked about it during Super Bowl week, heading in to the game against the Los Angeles Rams in February, which he nearly missed due to injury, That ended up being his third Super Bowl win, and fifth appearance, with the Pats. The 29-year-old, who will turn 30 on May 14th, will now be able to take care of his body, but something tells me we have not seen the last of him in the NFL, or in the sports and entertainment world overall.
