Rob Gronkowski has been one of the NFL’s most dominant forces since he came in the league in 2010 as one of the most unique physical forces at tight end the league’s ever seen.
In his career he’s caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns, becoming a favorite target for Tom Brady and, at his peak, was about as uncoverable as any pass catcher in the NFL. However, over that nine year career he’s taken a beating and suffered a number of serious injuries that have either kept him off the field or lingered to hamper his effectiveness while on it.
Still, he was once again a key member of the Patriots’ Super Bowl winning squad this year, with six catches for 87 yards in the 13-3 win over the Rams. That will be the final game of Gronkowski’s career, as after a couple years of speculation he could call it quits, he announced his official retirement from the NFL on Instagram on Sunday.
Gronk will be in Canton soon enough, as he’s one of the defining players of the last decade and boasts some of the best numbers of any tight end in league history. As for what’s next, at 30 and a cult hero in Boston and beyond you can bet to see him pop up plenty in off field ventures, likely including some work on movies as he’s dipped his toe into the acting pool before and potentially a turn in the squared circle as a wrestler.
