"It f**ks with you" - Rob Gronkowski opens up about mental spiral of retiring early from NFL

Rob Gronkowski is regarded as one of the finest tight ends to play in the NFL. However, after he retired in June 2022, Gronkowski had some trouble dealing with his daily routine.

In an episode of the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast that was released on Tuesday, Gronkowski opened up about the mental spiral of retiring at 32.

"Once you retire, that routine is completely thrown out the window," Gronkowski said (2:15:37). "Now, it’s up to you to schedule when you're going to work out, when you're going to study, when you're going to handle everything else. If you get off that routine, it really f**ks with you. You start feeling mentally weak, like you’re all over the place, not doing the right things, missing workouts."

Since Gronkowski used to train vigorously to remain in shape and spend hours practicing on the field during his time in the NFL, the tight end found it challenging to adapt to life after football.

Gronkowski had retired for the first time on Mar. 24, 2019, at the age of 29. At the time, he had played nine years with the New England Patriots.

However, after a year away from the league, Gronkowski returned to the NFL for the 2020 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The TE spent two years with the Buccaneers before quitting football.

Rob Gronkowski won four Super Bowls during his time in the NFL

Former New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski - Source: Imagn

The New England Patriots drafted Rob Gronkowski with the No. 42 pick in 2010. The tight end won three Super Bowls in his nine-year spell with the Patriots before his first retirement.

When Gronkowski returned to the NFL in the 2020 season, he won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played one more season with Tama Bay before retiring.

Across 11 seasons in the big league, Gronkowski recorded 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns on 621 receptions. He won four Super Bowls and earned five Pro Bowl honors.