For the second time in his Hall of Fame career, Rob Gronkowski is hanging up his helmet and cleats. The 33-year-old tight end announced his retirement via social media on Tuesday, marking the conclusion to his prolific 11-year journey in the league. Gronkowski first called it quits following the 2018 campaign with the New England Patriots, but he was summoned out of retirement by veteran Tom Brady in 2020, and went on to win a title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Gronkowski is once again leaving the NFL as one of the most productive tight ends in league history. The five-time Pro Bowler has the most 100-yard games by an NFL tight end, and he also holds the NFL single-season record for most touchdowns (18). Gronkowski's 92 career scores are 12th-most in history, and third-most at the tight end position. NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus recently said he wouldn't be surprised by another Gronkowski comeback. So, is he done?
"I wonder if the Bucs are going to be good enough for Gronk to want to come out of retirement in November," Andrew Perloff said during Maggie and Perloff on Wednesday. "Like, he's got to know they're going to a Super Bowl to come back. It just feels like there's a lot of issues. Even last year, they really weren't ready to go... Their schedule starts off pretty tough. They have to be, like, 8-3 for Gronk to come back. And I don't think he's going to come back, unless he really thinks there's something special going on."
"So the core pieces of the Super Bowl-winning team are still there," Gray said. "If they're running away with it, I'd say, if I'm Gronk, 'You don't need me. Look at how well you're doing.' They need Gronk if they're 4-5 and Brady's really up against the ropes. Then we start asking, 'Should he have come back, should he have stayed retired?' And then Gronk has to come... No offense to Gronk. He's his own person, business. If Brady calls, you're picking up and going."
Maggie and Perloff's complete thoughts on Gronkowski's retirement can be accessed in the audio player above.
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