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Rob Gronkowski might be retired, but one of the greatest tight ends of all time did not hold off on the recent changes to the league. It looks like nobody is happy with the new NFL rules regarding the kickoff, and some of the game's biggest personalities past and present are making it clear that they don't like what's happening right now.
After Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid harshly criticized Roger Goodell and the league with the new kickoff determinations, Gronkowski followed the same path:
“I agree with Coach Andy Reid, it’s getting a little bit ridiculous on that rule change because there’s already that rule that if it goes in the endzone, you could just take the knee in the endzone and it gets placed on the 25-yard line. You gotta be able to play football at some point, that’s why you have the kickoff. You might as well just take the kickoff totally out of the game and have the other team start in their own 25-yard line. That’s pretty ridiculous. That’s going a little bit too far.”
Coach Reid made his dislike about the new rule clear a fortnight before:
"Where does it stop?... Taking pieces away and you're playing flag football."
The kickoff-return percentage in recent years has been 38%. Kickoffs were responsible for 12% of the concussions, although they represented only 6% of the plays according to a league study.
With the NFL working hard to reduce the number of concussions over the last decade, it's no surprise to see them trying to wipe kickoffs away from the game.
Rob Gronkowski is set to go to the Hall of Fame
When Rob Gronkowski first retired, he had already decimated several NFL records, such as the most touchdowns in a single season by a tight end (18). Gronk is a four-time First-Team All-Pro and a three-time Super Bowl champion at the time.
He was arguably the most dominant player on the field almost as his athleticism and his technique for both blocking and receiving made him almost unstoppable.
Gronkowski then added another ring to his collection with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after coming back from retirement, before officially calling it a career in 2022.
