MINNEAPOLIS — Gronk score. Gronk spike. Gronk quit.
What?!?
Overshadowed by all the hoopla immediately following Super Bowl 52 was Rob Gronkowski declining to deny a report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio that offseason retirement by the star New England tight end "would not shock me at all."
"I don’t know how you heard that but I'm definitely going to look at my future for sure," Gronkowski said. "I'm going to sit down the next couple weeks and see where I’m at."
Whoa.
This is the bombshell equivalent of Gronkowski using proper Spanish and proclaiming, “No me gusta ir de fiesta." Could the NFL party really be over at age 28?
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There’s reason to believe it may be so — the main one being the physical toll that football has taken on Gronkowski dating to his college days at Arizona. Back surgery forced Gronkowski to miss his entire junior season. That contributed to a prospect as talented as Gronkowski lasting into the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft.
A litany of other injuries followed that kept Gronkowski from completing a 16-game season between 2012 and 2016 (a complete list can be found here). This lengthy history of torn ligaments and broken bones led to a curious contractual development in the 2017 offseason.
With his salary now lagging behind others at the position, Gronkowski agreed to a restructured deal that could make him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end. However, Gronk would have to stay healthy enough to hit specific thresholds required to get there.
Gronkowski did that by reaching All-Pro status with — Beavis-and-Butthead giggle — 69 receptions for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns. Gronk's value to the Patriots was never higher with top Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman lost for the year after a preseason knee injury.
Such status was reinforced in Weeks 14 and 15 of the regular season. When he was suspended for one game because of a cheap shot against Buffalo cornerback Tre’Davious White, the Patriots got rolled by the Dolphins. Six days later, Gronk would return to once again prove unstoppable against the Steelers with a nine-catch, 168-yard showing in a Patriots win that helped clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Gronkowski did get forced out of action on a helmet-to-helmet hit by Jacksonville safety Barry Church in New England’s AFC title game win over the Jaguars. While it was only the second documented concussion of his eight-year NFL career, there's no real way of knowing how many Gronkowski has suffered during his playing days.
Gronkowski said Sunday night his recent brain trauma wasn't factoring into his thinking. That could change when Gronkowski looks at the bigger picture.
Gronkowski, too, might be influenced by how the Patriots plan to approach his contract situation this offseason. A retirement threat could not only be used as leverage if New England is seeking another incentive-laden restructure, but also to angle for a raise from the $9 million and $10 million salaries Gronk is set to earn the next two seasons.
What we do know for sure: Gronk has options.
Gronk’s charisma and fun-loving personality have created opportunities for him to carve a new professional life in the entertainment industry. He wouldn't be heading there hat-in-hand, either. Gronkowski wrote in 2015 that he hadn’t spent a dime of his football salary, instead using money from endorsements to pay for a lifestyle that is obviously comfortable but not overly luxurious by NFL standards.
Gronkowski also has the comfort of knowing he can walk away from the Patriots with a future spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame already secured.
Gronk has changed the ways defenses must play the Patriots because his size-speed ratio makes him a coverage nightmare. He isn't a “product of the system,” either, as proven by how other tight ends the Patriots have cycled through — Martellus Bennett, Duane Allen and Scott Chandler among the most recent — showed no signs of being able to match Gronk’s productivity if/when given the opportunity.
Besides his regular-season accomplishments, Gronkowski is the most prolific tight end in postseason history. He padded those stats against Philadelphia with nine catches for 116 yards and two second-half touchdowns.
Gronk accentuated the second score with a funky dance move followed by his trademark spike that sent the ball flying skyward at U.S. Bank Stadium. This simple celebration — later mocked by Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett after he recovered a Tom Brady fumble — is also one of the NFL’s most distinctive because of how it reflects Gronk’s raw power.
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It's understandable that Gronkowski wasn't ready to either make or announce a retirement decision in the aftermath of something as emotionally draining as playing in a Super Bowl, let alone losing one.
"I’m not ready for these type of questions right now," Gronk said. “I’m going to sit down, reflect on the season, talk to my teammates. We fought all year long. All the receivers, running backs, linemen … We’ve been all working together.
"I’m just going to reflect on the season with all the boys and see what happens."
Thus, Gronk ponders.
And we wait.
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