Rob Gronkowski Saved Every Penny of His NFL Salary, Setting Himself Up For Retirement

Former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski may seem a little immature at the surface. When it comes to his finances, the future Hall of Famer certainly isn't dumb. After all, he did come back from retirement to play with his old friend Tomy Brady and win another Super Bowl ring. It doesn't take brains to realize that's a smart move.

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After saving all the salary money he made throughout his NFL career, as well as what's left over in endorsements, Gronk has an estimated net worth that definitely matches up with his gigantic personality.

Gronkowski may be the best tight end in the history of the National Football League and professional football, though knee and back injuries led to his first early retirement. Gronk grew up in Amherst, New York and attended Williamsville North High School before playing his senior season at Woodland Hills High School near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

After high school, he played two seasons at the University of Arizona where he was a freshman All-American, then later was named First-Team All-Pac 10 as a sophomore. After sitting out his junior season following back surgery, Gronkowski was selected in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. The rest of his career is history.

Rob Gronkowski's NFL Career is One for the Books

Gronk played his first nine seasons with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in Massachusetts and won three Super Bowls. In those nine seasons, Gronk caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the AFC five times and was a First-Team All-Pro selection on four occasions.

He ranks 63rd in NFL history in receiving yards and dominated in the playoffs, ranking fourth in playoff receptions (98), fourth in yards (1,389), and second in receiving touchdowns (15).

It won't take long before Gronkowski's No. 87 jersey is retired in Foxborough, and this is one jersey every single NFL fan alive today will remember forever. Gronk's health became a concern, which is why he retired after the 2018 season and spent the entire 2019 season away from football. But he couldn't be kept away long.

The four-time All-Pro football player shocked everyone and came out of retirement to play for Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2020 season affected by the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19 outbreak. The Patriots traded the four-time Super Bowl champion to the Bucs in a deal that involved multiple draft picks.

Wouldn't you know it, Gronk and Brady were once again playing in the playoffs. The Buccaneers beat the Washington Football Team and New Orleans Saints to advance to the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers. That must've been weird considering he used to be a staple in the AFC Championship game. The storybook season ended with a Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Tampa, Florida. He earned another Pro Bowl appearance, too.

Gronk's return wasn't just for a single season, either. He thrived again in 2021. Ahead of the 2022 NFL season, Gronk announced that he had caught his last touchdown and would be heading back into retirement. After 11 seasons and countless memories, Gronk is heading off into the sunset with four Super Bowl rings, more than 26 NFL franchises. That's some serious dominance.

Gronk Smashed His Way to Some Seriously Lucrative Contracts in His Career

In nine seasons before returning in 2020, Gronkowski only made $24.7 million in contract money with just one season making more than $5 million.

Thankfully, the extra signing bonus and incentives in his contracts helped him rack up quite a bit of money. And with smart spending habits, he retired for the first time as an extremely wealthy man.

It is easy to assume because of his crazy partying that Gronkowski was spending loads of money on crazy stuff that NFL players have been known to do, like racking up thousands of dollars in bar tabs, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. There are few professional athletes who have the financial maturity of Gronkowski.

According to Spotrac, Gronkowski made more than $9 million in 2020 and more than $8 million in 2021. He has earned more than $70 million in the NFL, a majority of which came from a six-year, $54 million contract.

Gronk's Massive Endorsement Deals

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With the help of endorsement deals with Tide, Nike, Dunkin' Donuts, Visa, T-Mobile, Lyft, Cheerios, USAA, BodyArmor SuperDrink and Monster Energy, Gronk was able to go his entire NFL career without spending any money from his actual football contracts, saving a majority of his first $50 million in career earnings. He revealed that fact in his 2015 book "It's Good to be Gronk," saying he lived off "marketing money."

He's also gotten to star in commercials alongside his girlfriend Camille Kostek.

Gronkowski's first life after football didn't appear to slow down, as he began investing in various businesses like Gronk Fitness Products and Gronk's Hot Sauce while also doing appearances for big-name brands. He even signed with WWE and hosted WrestleMania as well as appeared in TV shows like "Entourage" and "Family Guy."

Rob Gronkowski's Net Worth After His NFL Career

Even though he has saved so much money throughout his pro career, Rob Gronkowski's net worth is estimated at about $45 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. There is still a ton of money for the football player to make outside the sport, too.

Man, it's good to be Gronk.