Tom Brady Reacts To Rob Gronkowski’s Retirement Post On Instagram

A day that New England Patriots fans have feared finally has arrived.

Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL on Sunday with a lengthy Instagram post thanking the Robert Kraft and the Patriots organization along with his teammates and fans.

The announcement obviously sent shockwaves throughout New England and the rest of the league, with dozens posting montages of the tight end’s most memorable moments over his nine seasons in Foxboro.

View this post on Instagram

It all started at 20 years old on stage at the NFL draft when my dream came true, and now here I am about to turn 30 in a few months with a decision I feel is the biggest of my life so far. I will be retiring from the game of football today. I am so grateful for the opportunity that Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick gave to me when drafting my silliness in 2010. My life experiences over the last 9 years have been amazing both on and off the field. The people I have meet, the relationships I have built, the championships I have been apart of, I just want to thank the whole New England Patriots organization for every opportunity I have been giving and learning the great values of life that I can apply to mine. Thank you to all of Pats Nation around the world for the incredible support since I have been apart of this 1st class organization. Thank you for everyone accepting who I am and the dedication I have put into my work to be the best player I could be. But now its time to move forward and move forward with a big smile knowing that the New England Patriots Organization, Pats Nation, and all my fans will be truly a big part of my heart for rest of my life. It was truly an incredible honor to play for such a great established organization and able to come in to continue and contribute to keep building success. To all my current and past teammates, thank you for making each team every year special to be apart of. I will truly miss you guys. Cheers to all who have been part of this journey, cheers to the past for the incredible memories, and a HUGE cheers to the uncertain of whats next.

A post shared by Rob Gronkowski (@gronk) on Mar 24, 2019 at 2:53pm PDT

Comments from teammates poured into Gronkowski’s post — chief among them coming from Tom Brady, who left this message for his beloved tight end.

Gronkowski has been one of Brady’s most-trusted pass catchers for the entirety of the 29-year-old’s career.

While the Patriots have played stretches without Gronkowski due to injury, it’s hard to imagine New England’s offense without factoring in the bruising tight end, who perhaps was the most dominant player at his position in his prime. But New England’s motto long has been “next man up,” and that mantra certainly will be put to the test next season.