Rob Gronkowski almost missed Super Bowl XLIX parade - "I was passed out in the airport"

Rob Gronkowski will forever cherish Super Bowl XLIX.

Already considered one of the best tight ends in football by then, he attained the first of his four Lombardi Trophies on February 1, 2015. Most importantly, it revived the New England Patriots dynasty after a ten-season drought.

Gronkowski was a crucial contributor in that game, with six catches for 68 passes and a touchdown. But in the aftermath, Gronkowski, who had already become as famous for his off-field partying as he was for his on-field play, almost missed the subsequent parade.

Rob Gronkowski recently relayed the experience with former teammate Julian Edelman (who also won his first Super Bowl at the time) on the Games with Names podcast.

"We got hammered. There was 50 beers getting thrown at me at one time. Like you had to get hammered... I almost didn't make the parade because I was passed out in the airport because I went to Jimmy Kimmel. I went out in LA; I tried making it back," Gronkowski said at the 1:43:10 mark.

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Rob Gronkowski discusses recent tenure as Fox analyst

If one is asked what Rob Gronkowski might currently be doing, they may immediately think he is partying somewhere. However, that is only part of the equation.

He has been busy post-retirement, with an analyst gig for FOX NFL Sunday serving as his main job. He took it up during his first retirement and then jumped into it full-time after leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

2023 was a landmark year for Gronkowski in the studio, as Julian Edelman joined him for the first time. In the same episode, the former multiple-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl tight end recapped their first time working together in the studio. He said:

"It was great, man... I wasn't necessarily full-time; you were - I was on air only about 12 times; I just have to travel cross country so it's tough to do it every single week - but I felt way more comfortable, and it was great to have you, a familiar face... To see you there, we hit it off, Week 1. It was just a fun year."

The two can be seen on Fox NFL Kickoff, which airs from 11 AM EST onwards in most markets.