Former New England Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski surprised the NFL in March, announcing his retirement from football at age of 29. Since then, Gronkowski has stayed firm in his decision, rejecting countless rumors and reports about his proposed return. Still, that didn’t stop them from surfacing again and again.
The latest report about Gronkowski’s return to football came from respected NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport. According to Rapoport’s recent story, Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft is trying to get Gronkowski to unretire for their upcoming playoff run.
Rapoport reports that Kraft met with Gronkowski when the five-times Pro Bowler was cleaning out his locker and told him he wants him to return for “November, December, and a playoff run.” New England’s owner also said that the team would welcome him and everyone hopes he can change his mind.
However, despite Kraft’s attempts, Rob Gronkowski seems like he is staying put. Rapoport says that a source close to the 30-year-old told him that Gronkowski is remaining by his retirement despite the efforts to put him back on the field.
Also, there is not much time left for Gronkowski to get on the field if he would be interested in that. NFL rules require a player to get off the reserve/retired list before Week 13 in order to be eligible to play in the season. This means that if Gronkowski doesn’t return in November, he won’t dress up in 2019 for sure.
Despite playing just nine seasons in the league, Gronkowski managed to have a Hall of Fame-worthy career. He won three Super Bowl with the Pats, while also earning five Pro Bowl appearances and four First-Team All-Pro honors.
