Former New England Patriot and current Tampa Bay tight end Rob Gronkowski has called it a career, again, after 11 NFL seasons. His career has been nothing short of legendary, but will this be the last we see of him on the field?

When Rob Gronkowski, nicknamed Gronk, was drafted by the Patriots in the 2010 NFL Draft, he became a force to be reckoned with almost immediately. With his huge 6-foot-6-inch 265 lb frame, he was a unit on the field and became a top target for star quarterback Tom Brady. In 2011, Gronkowski set the single-season record for most touchdown receptions by a tight end with 17, also leading the NFL. This catapulted him into stardom.

Gronkowski’s career with the Patriots and connections with Tom Brady began to start, and the NFL world was soon put on notice of his dominance.

Gronkowski in his early NFL years quickly became a household name because of how agile, physical, and charismatic he was on the field. He ripped down passes, and dragged his opponents for many yards after the catch. This helped him earn Pro Bowl and All Pro selections, as well as trips to the Super Bowl with the Patriots.

Gronk became a Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots in 2015, after becoming an offensive hero with a touchdown in that Super Bowl XLIX game against the Seahawks. He once again delivered in 2016’s playoff hopes against the Denver Broncos late in the fourth quarter, although the team came short by the end. The next year, he helped the team early on in the year, but was sidelined due to a multitude of injuries in week twelve, a common trend for his career. The team ended up winning another Super Bowl in their miraculous comeback of Super Bowl LI, and Gronk was yet again a champion. Injuries tried their best to plague his career, but year after year Gronkowski fought and came back, working his way to having the best prime of a tight end the league had ever seen.

The 2018-2019 season granted Gronkowski his third Super Bowl ring, after he helped the Patriots with yet another huge fourth quarter catch to defeat the LA Rams in Super Bowl LIII. After this game and season ended, though, he promptly announced his retirement, listing injury as the main issue and concern. Though easy to understand, the NFL wasn’t the same without its lovable tight end, Gronk.

But on April 21st, 2020, Gronkowski shocked the NFL world by coming out of retirement, and joining longtime teammate and friend Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gronkowski knew the year away from football helped his body heal, and he was ready to compete again. The two brought their “Patriot ways” to Tampa Bay, and won yet another championship, their fourth together, in the 2020-2021 NFL season. Gronkowski scored two touchdowns in that game, and cemented his legacy as one of the NFL greats, with a great comeback of his own. In the 2021-2022 NFL season, Gronkowski continued to still be an effective target for Brady, although showed signs of injury taking a toll on his body. He caught 55 balls for 806 yards, and added six more scores to his career statistics, as he was still seen as a top tight end in the league, although the Bucs’ season ended in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Many knew going into the offseason that Gronk’s future was up in the clouds, with even himself stating that he was unsure if he would play in 2022. On Instagram Tuesday June 21st, though, he confirmed his plans for retirement, stating:

“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.” (Via @gronk Instagram)

Two words to describe Rob Gronkowski’s NFL career: dominance, and fun. Gronk exemplified time and time again just how high his football IQ was while making some of the most impressive highlight-worthy plays in NFL history, while having fun and becoming one of the most iconic personalities in sports. His career achievements speak for themselves, and to me, he is the greatest tight end in NFL history, with the rings and statistics to prove it. The NFL will in fact not be the same without Gronk, but I’m sure we’ll still see a bunch of him.

Rob Gronkowski’s career statistics and notable achievements:

• 719 total receptions

• 10,675 total receiving yards

• 108 total touchdowns

• 4x Super Bowl Champion

• 4x First-team All-Pro Selections

• 5x Pro Bowl Selection

• NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2014)

• NFL 2010s All-Decade Team

• NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team

• And many, many Gronk spikes…