Rob Gronkowski’s “retirement” didn’t last long, as the All-Pro tight end has decided to return to the NFL after sitting out only one season. He won’t be rejoining the Patriots, though, as New England traded Gronkowski to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reuniting him with quarterback Tom Brady.
While this development might be bittersweet for Patriots fans, there’s no denying Gronkowski’s 10-year run in New England was both extremely successful and wildly entertaining. So, let’s relive the 10 best “Gronk being Gronk” moments of his Patriots tenure, with an emphasis on the antics that reflected his unique personality.
Rob Gronkowski had a lot of great moments as a member of the New England Patriots.
His best, quite frankly, involved his complete dominance on the football field.
Gronkowski scored touchdowns, broke records and made grown men look like children in his Patriots career. Rather than pick one single highlight, let’s just appreciate his total excellence.
It took Gronkowski all of one week to score his first of 79 career touchdowns with New England, doing so in the first game of his rookie season. In his second campaign, he scored the most touchdowns by a tight end in a single season (17) while also totaling a then-record 1,327 receiving yards.
If you really want to remember the dominance of Gronkowski, just think of the number of broken tackles that made defenders look helpless. While his incredible ability actually was a burden at times — consider his slew of injuries — there never was any doubt the greatness he possessed every time he strapped on a helmet.
Gronkowski was named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team this past season at age 30, making him the youngest member of the team.
Gronkowski already is arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history. Patriots fans forever will remember that. As he heads to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the next chapter of his career, Gronk only can bolster his case.
