A freak of nature (6-foot-6, 245 pounds), he won three Super Bowls with New England since he was drafted in the second round (42nd overall!) in 2010 out of the University of Arizona. Along the way, the human Golden Retriever managed to be the most likable star pro athlete that I can ever remember. The fact that he was able to do this for a franchise that basically extracts personality and anything remotely interesting from its players and coaches as soon as they come aboard makes it all the more incredible. The countless painful surgeries to his back, arms and legs (not to mention multiple concussions) had understandably taken their toll on Gronkowski who still put up insane statistics in his career: 521 catches, 7861 yards and 79 touchdowns. As the years went on, the Pats did their best to limit his touches during the regular season to keep him fresh for the playoffs and it made a difference: in 16 career postseason games, he put up 81 catches, 1163 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named to five Pro Bowls & most importantly was a four-time first team All-Pro (the highest individual honor in the sport).
Taking my Patriots honkdom out of the equation, I think it's pretty simple what made Rob the greatest tight end that we've ever seen: unlike most modern tight ends (think Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jason Witten or Travis Kelce), he didn't mind pitching in as a hellacious blocker (think of him throwing poor Sergio Brown out of the club). In fact, coupled with being an unstoppable receiver, he was also the best blocking tight end as well. Like any long and meaningful relationship, Gronk's once-in-a-lifetime run with the Patriots had its ups and downs. Things got a bit wonky the last few years as he held out for a little more money (New England famously underpays even its best players) yet when it came time to play, there he was helping them take home the franchise's sixth Super Bowl title in February vs. the Rams with the biggest catch of the game.
What's refreshing about this whole situation is that Gronk is going out on his own terms. I'm sure I wasn't the only person who always winced when he took a million huge hits in every game (being well aware of his brutal injury history). He turns 30 on May 14 and at this point, what else did he really have to prove in football? He'll be a Patriots Hall of Famer and a first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer so it doesn't get any better than that. Unlike most players, he's also set himself up for a great life after his NFL career ended: he famously has saved most of the money that he's earned as a Patriot and there will be an endless amount of things he can do in his newfound free time. Gronk isn't nearly as dumb as he seems and he has a great sense of humor so it's easy to picture him starring in a reality show about his wild life (with or without his goofy brothers) perhaps going to the WWE or maybe starring in a host of crappy action movies.
He actually seems like he's settled down a bit the last few years (RIP to the Gronk Bus and hanging out with gross porn stars) since he started dating a former Patriots cheerleader (haha storybook romance right?). It's hard to imagine how much pain that he's battled through for much of his life so this mature decision to walk away while his body and mind are still ok is the correct one. He owes nothing to the game, the Patriots or their endlessly loyal fans around the world. If this is the beginning of the end of New England's amazing dynasty, all we can say is thank you to Rob Gronkowski for all the fun memories that we'll cherish for the rest of our lives.
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