Rob Gronkowski Woke From Surgery, Told Agent He Was Firing Him and Hiring Jay-Z Instead, Drew Rosenhaus Says

Rob Gronkowski Oh, that Gronk. Even when he’s coming out from under anesthesia and just had his arm cut open, he’s still got the jokes.

Rob Gronkowski‘s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has had plenty to worry about in recent days. Gronkowski has taken months to recover from a broken left forearm, including several surgeries after infection set in, and now he needs to go under the knife again for his back. Everyone is wondering when — and if — Gronkowski will be back for the Patriots.

Rosenhaus has been there through it all, and while he’s probably had a lot on his mind as he tries to get his well-paid client back onto the field, at least someone is relieving the pressure with some timely jokes: Gronk.

Rosenhaus says he was next to Gronkowski when the tight end came out of surgery recently. He shared his experience on SportsCenter on Thursday.

“Typical Rob,” Rosenhaus said, as reported by Larry Brown Sports. “As soon as he woke up, he joked, ‘Hey, I’m firing you.’ I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘Yeah, I’m letting you go. I’m going to hire Jay-Z.'”

Jay-Z first jumped into the sports repping business when his new agency agreed to work with Robinson Cano last month, and he’s since been tied to new Jets quarterback Geno Smith and women’s college basketball star Skylar Diggins. He’s been quick to expand his reach in the sports world, and he has the cache to draw some more big-name athletes.

Rosenhaus hasn’t done so bad for Gronkowski, though. The two got Gronkowski his six-year, $54 million extension with the Patriots right around this time last year, and Rosenhaus has helped the tight end’s PR by going into the public eye as concerns about Gronkowski sprout up.

“I just think he’s going to have a very long, Hall of Fame career, and I don’t anticipate this difficult stretch that he’s had to be a long-term factor for him,” Rosenhaus said on SportsCenter. “… He’s one of a kind. Nothing’s going to slow this guy down. He’s a ton of fun to represent and an amazing client.”

Agent? Try cheerleader.