Rob Gronkowski is finally making it official.
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The Patriots announced Monday that Gronk will sign a one-day contract to retire as a member of New England, closing the book on a Hall of Fame career that ended on the field in 2021.
Gronk, 35, is one of the greatest tight ends to ever play the game. He racked up 621 catches for 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns across 11 seasons. Nine with the Patriots. Two with Tom Brady in Tampa. He won four Super Bowls. Three in New England. One in Tampa.
He holds a long list of tight end records, including most touchdowns in a single season (17), most postseason touchdowns (12), and most 100-yard games by a tight end (32). He also owns the most receptions and yards by a tight end in Super Bowl history.
The retirement filing starts the clock toward Canton. Gronk is considered a slam-dunk first-ballot Hall of Famer, selected to the 2010s All-Decade Team and the NFL 100 All-Time Team. On top of being a dominant receiver, he was considered elite as a blocker too. Truly a complete tight end.
Gronk also posted third-team All-American honors at Arizona and still owns Wildcats tight end records despite playing only two college seasons.
It took a couple years to file the papers. But now it's real.
Forget the mic drop. One more Gronk spike would be more fitting.
