Former Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski Is Reportedly Close To A Deal With WWE

According to Ryan Satin on Tuesday night’s edition of WWE Backstage, Rob Gronkowski, the former Super Bowl winning tight end with the New England Patriots who retired in March of last year when he was 29 years old, is on the verge of agreeing to a deal with WWE.

Although it didn’t go into any specifics on how Gronkowski would be used with WWE, his debut could happen on Smackdown “as early as March 20,” per Satin. Gronkowski, a gigantic wrestling fan, has spoken in the past about his desire to one day have a match in WWE, saying in August that “I don’t feel like I would be a full-time wrestler. But there is one thing I’m down for, and that’s to do, like, one crazy match. Like, practice it for a little bit, and go in, like, during a Royal Rumble, and just go out there.”

Gronkowski, of course, is no stranger to WWE, as four-time first-team All-Pro selection appeared in the ring to help Mojo Rawley eliminate Jinder Mahal from the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale at WrestleMania 33. Several days after that, he made a cameo on Smackdown. He’s already in the Fox ecosystem, too, as he hopped on board with their NFL coverage last season.