“He’s getting his a** beat” - NFL analyst thinks Rob Gronkowski is tired of getting hit

Rob Gronkowski has not made up his mind on whether to return to the NFL for another season with Tom Brady or to retire again. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end recently said he has not committed to another year, even if the only quarterback he’s ever played with is returning. NFL Network’s Rich Eisen recently commented on the matter

Eisen, on the latest Rich Eisen Show, indicated that the reason Gronkowski is taking his time is due to physical and mental reasons:

“Because he’s getting his a** beat. He's getting caught all the time. Brady could get rid of the ball. Gronk is always gonna get caught. He's gonna get chipped every single time, and I can only imagine like he's sitting there in April, in March saying, ‘you know, I don't know if I'm up for it.’ Like, give the guy a couple months. The fact that he's not come back, ‘Oh, what’s the matter with Gronk? Is he pi**ed at Tom? Is he pi**ed at the Bucs? Does he want something that he's not getting?’ I think he just doesn't want to be hit. He doesn’t want to be chipped. He doesn't want to and in order to get ready for that crucible of a campaign of months and months and months of workouts and what have you.

Eisen went on to clarify that Gronkowski may just need some time before definitely giving an answer -- on if he is going to retire or come back to play with Tom Brady for another year.

“It doesn't seem like he's letting himself go. He might just not want to do it anymore. And he might be on a plan of like, ‘I’ll see call me after training camp.’ We might be on a plan of, ‘Call me in like Week Six. Call me in Week Eight.’ And maybe it'll be just like late June. He’s like ‘I’m in. Just everybody back off.’ But you can already see he kind of doesn't want to talk about it.”

Rob Gronkowski’s connection to Tom Brady

It’s rare in the modern NFL for a Hall-of-Fame caliber player to have only caught passes from one quarterback his entire career. Rob Gronkowski has played 11 years in the NFL in a tough position that is also physically demanding. At 6 foot, 6 inches, he is a big target for both quarterbacks and opposing defenders. Despite injuries and taking the entire 2019 season off, Rob Gronkowski has remained among the best tight ends to ever play the game.

With Tom Brady as his quarterback throughout his entire career from New England to Tampa Bay, Rob Gronkowski has carved a hall-of-fame career. Their connection on and off the field is a big reason why Brady has had as much success as he’s had on both teams, and it’s a big reason why Gronkowski was willing to come out of retirement to come down and play with Brady in Tampa Bay.

According to Statmuse, in 141 games with Rob Gronkowski on the field, Tom Brady has a passer rating of 103.8 with 41,120 passing yards, and 316 touchdown passes against 75 interceptions. Rob Gronkowski also has four Super Bowl rings, all from playing with Brady, who has an NFL record seven rings.