"I will now be going back into my retirement home" - Rob Gronkowski officially calls time on his NFL career

Rob Gronkowski is retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons. The tight end announced his retirement from the NFL on his Instagram account and shared a story about his journey in football.

The future Hall of Famer said that he’s heading back to retirement, walking away from the game of football with his head held high. He went on to share appreciation for all of his teammates and coaches:

“I will now be going back into my retirement home, walking away from football again with my head held high knowing I gave it everything I had, good or bad, every time I stepped out on the field. The friendships and relationships I have made will last forever, and I appreciate every single one of my teammates and coaches for giving everything they had as well. From retirement, back to football and winning another championship and now back to chilling out, thank you to all.”

Gronkowski also thanked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for allowing him to return, play and help in building a championship team.

“And for this, I want to thank the whole entire first-class Buccaneers organization for an amazing ride, trusting me to come back to play and help build a championship team.”

Rob Gronkowski and his NFL career

Gronkowski w/ theNew England Patriots

The tight end was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft out of the University of Arizona by the New England Patriots. He made the first of his five Pro Bowl appearances in the 2011 season, leading the NFL in touchdown catches with 17. That season, he also made first-team All-Pro while getting 90 receptions for 1,327 yards.

In four of his nine seasons with New England, Gronkowski had 1,000+ receiving yards and five with 10+ touchdowns. With the Patriots, he won three Super Bowls, while catching 98 passes for 1,163 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in the playoffs.

He missed the entire 2019 season after retiring but made a return to play for Tampa Bay along with his former teammate, quarterback Tom Brady. In the 2020 season, the tight end won his fourth Super Bowl while recording 45 receptions, 623 yards receiving, and seven touchdowns.

Last season, Gronkowski played in 12 games for the Buccaneers and caught 55 passes for 822 yards and six touchdowns.

Is he a Pro Football Hall of Famer?

Chicago Bears v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In 11 NFL seasons, he has 9,286 career receiving yards, the fifth-most amongst tight ends in. He trails Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (15,127 yards), former Dallas Cowboys player Jason Witten (13,046 yards) and former San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates (11,841 yards). He also finished just behind Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe (9,961 yards).

In the postseason, he holds the record for the most receiving yards with 1,389.

The 92 career touchdowns are the third-most behind Gates (116) and Gonzalez (111) while his 15 playoff touchdowns are good for the most amongst all-time tight ends.