"There will only ever be one Gronk" - Julian Edelman reacts to former Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski retiring from the NFL

Rob Gronkowski is once again a retired man after two seasons playing for Tampa Bay with Tom Brady following his last retirement from the Patriots in 2019. His fellow teammate in New England, Julian Edelman, gave the tight end his praise. Gronkowski concluded an 11-season career that came to an end on Tuesday afternoon.

Edelman kept it simple by paying tribute to the mythical 'Gronk':

"There will only ever be one Gronk. Love you bro. #FoxboroForever"

Gronkowski recently told Sports Illustrated that he would have definitely returned had Edelman signed with the Buccaneers:

“Oh yeah, if Julian signs with the Bucs right now, I’m coming back for a whole other year. Hands down. I was just with him last night. He needs to sign with the Bucs.”

Tom Brady had a longer message for Rob Gronkowski

Rob Gronkowski got a longer monologue from Tom Brady about the retirement of the quarterback's sturdy TE. Gronk was teammates with the seven-time Super Bowl champion throughout the last decade in New England and Tampa Bay.

Brady called him a teammate, a brother and a friend. TB12 honored his efforts in a grueling 12 years filled with nagging injuries and hits to his legs and torso:

"Teammate, friend, brother, just a few of the words that come to mind when I think of (Gronk). Nobody has ever embodied the idea of 'leaving it all out on the field' like Rob has throughout his entire career. Every single snap, I knew that no matter how many people you put in front of him, he was going to get to his spot."

Brady focused a portion of his kudos to who Gronkowski was off the field as well:

"Even more important is the person he was off the field. Focused when he had to be, and FUN the rest of the time. Having Gronk in your locker room was every NFL players dream. I’m proud of all that we’ve accomplished together, and even more excited for all you have ahead of you. Congrats Gronk, you deserve it."

When Tampa Bay signed Akiem Hicks for $8 million, Gronkowski's retirement was essentially a shoe-in. The Bucs lacked cap, and were not going to gut the bigger salaries on their roster for pass-catching help. Considering the resources already doled out to the talented WR room.

With 'Gronk' gone, the road out of Tampa appears to have more pavement by the day.