Super Bowl Champion Rob Gronkowski Retires: 'I Gave It Everything I Had'

On Tuesday, Rob Gronkowskiannounced that he was retiring from the NFL.

Earlier this year, Tom Brady announced that he was going to retire and then backtracked, saying that he would return for his 23rd season with the NFL. However, Gronk will not.

Although he only played 12 games last season, Gronkowski still managed to catch 55 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns. CBS reported that it was his best season since 2017 in terms of statistics.

In the 2010 NFL draft, the popular football player was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round. He played in New England with Brady for ten years and the two won three Super Bowls together. Throughout his career, Gronk was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and a four-time First-Team All-Pro selection. He was selected as part of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

In 2018, he stepped away from NFL when he returned 30 and returned after Brady announced he would play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The dynamic duo led them to their first Super Bowl win in 2021.

In a lengthy statement Gronk posted to Instagram, he thanked his coaches, teammates, and fans for their years of support.

“In college, I was asked to write about a dream job opportunity that I wanted to pursue and where the location would be,” he began. “Every time I had to write about my future, no matter what, I picked being a professional football player.”

“For that assignment though, we had to pick the location. So I wrote that I wanted to play in Tampa for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for many reasons, the sunny weather being #1,” he continued. “I completely forgot about writing this report until 2 years ago when I had the opportunity to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And let me tell ya, the journey in Tampa over the last 2 years has blown away what I originally wrote about in college, big time.”

“And for this, I want to thank the whole entire first class Buccaneers organization for an amazing ride, trusting me to come back to play and help build a championship team,” he continued. “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.”

“The friendships and relationships I have made will last forever, and I appreciate every single one of my teammates and coaches for giving everything they had as well,” he continued. “From retirement, back to football and winning another championship and now back to chilling out, thank you to all. Buccaneers ?‍☠️ fans, the Krewe, without you guys, none of this is possible, all of ya brought it every game, thank you for all you do.”

He wrapped up his statement saying, “Cheers to what’s next, maybe sailing the seas ?‍☠️ Arghhhhhh!!”

Shortly after Gronk posted his retirement news on Instagram, Tom Brady released a statement of his own on Instagram as well with nothing but praise for his friend and former teammate.

“Teammate, friend, brother, just a few of the words that come to mind when I think of @gronk,” he wrote. “Nobody has ever embodied the idea of ‘leaving it all out on the field’ like Rob has throughout his entire career. Every single snap, I knew that no matter how many people you put in front of him, he was going to get to his spot.”

“Even more important is the person he was off the field,” Brady continued. “Focused when he had to be, and FUN the rest of the time. Having Gronk in your locker room was every NFL players dream. I’m proud of all that we’ve accomplished together, and even more excited for all you have ahead of you.”

“Congrats Gronk,” he concluded. “You deserve it.”

Many fans, sportscasters, and other NFL pros also took to social media to comment on Rob Gronkowski's surprising retirement news that took the world by storm on Tuesday afternoon.