I am going to come out on a limb here and say this, but I would be remiss if I did not declare that Rob Gronkowski and retirement do not sit well. Almost to the point where I could see him coming out of retirement before the start of the 2019 NFL season. Just like Michael Jordan did (more than once), just like Brett Farve did, and just like Roger Clemens did, if you say you are "retired" it does not necessarily mean that you are for good.
Better known as "Gronk," the former Patriots tight end Gronkowski announced his retirement at the end of this last season after the Patriots won the Super Bowl. Gronk's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told Peter King that it wouldn't shock him if Gronkowski decided to come back before the year is over. We have been made aware that the wear and tear on Gronk's body has worn him down through the years. However, maybe after several months off for some R&R he might be persuaded to come back sometime during next season.
At 29 years old, Rob is still very young so it wouldn't be out of the question to rule out a return to the NFL entirely. If Tom Brady is struggling without his big target and expresses this to Gronk, it would be a real possibility he could return to help out his former teammates. Not only that but Gronkowski is a winner through and through. If his team is not playing to the standard he believes they are capable of doing, he certainly will not ride off quietly into the sunset. He will express his dissatisfaction to coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft who surely will do something about it.
We have seen it been done before, football players coming back to the NFL after retiring. The most recent of examples is Jason Witten; the former Pro-Bowler announced earlier this year he is coming back to the NFL after spending one season on Monday Night Football as a TV analyst.
Another recent example is Marshawn Lynch. The Seattle running back also retired at 29 years old, which is longer than the usual shelf life of most running backs in the NFL. After retirement, he requested that the Seattle Seahawks trade his rights to his hometown Oakland Raiders so he could come back to the NFL but with a new uniform.
Of course, Gronk is enjoying his retirement as of now. He definitely has the personality of the life of the party. It's not uncommon to see videos of him dancing at parties on different social media platforms.
While I don't like the Patriots, and remember how annoying it was to see Brady and Gronk march down the field, he was a top-tier athlete. Gronk made a great decision to go out after a Super Bowl win and seeing his competitive nature, I don't think he would have it any other way. We will have to wait and see, but I think there is a real chance that we haven't seen the last of Gronk suiting up and taking the field.
