It didn't take long for Tom Brady to weigh in on the retirement of longtime teammate and tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday afternoon. He played the first nine seasons of his career with Brady and the New England Patriots before then coming out of his first retirement to join Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the 2020 campaign. Gronkowski spent the last two seasons with the Bucs while all 11 of his seasons came with Brady serving as his quarterback.
"Love you as a man, teammate and friend," Brady commented on Gronkowski's farewell Instagram post. "One of a kind in every way."
The combination of Brady and Gronkowski, as Patriots fans certainly recall, was one of the most lethal tandems in NFL history. Gronkowski won four Super Bowls and was named an All-Pro tight end four times, benefitting from having the GOAT behind center. Brady, though, benefitted just as much as having arguably the game's best ever tight end at his disposal.
Gronkowski concludes his regular-season career with 9,286 yards on 621 receptions and 92 touchdowns in 143 career games. Gronkowski contributed 1,389 yards and 98 receptions for 15 touchdowns in 22 playoff games, as well.
