Patriots' Rob Gronkowski Needs 'Downtime' After Super Bowl Before Deciding on NFL Future
Rob Gronkowski told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com he won't make any decisions about his potential retirement until "a few weeks down the road."
The Patriots tight end spoke to ESPN during Monday's Super Bowl media night and stressed that he will need some "downtime" following Super Bowl LIII before he decides on his playing future.
"As of right now, those are the last things I'm thinking of. ... I love playing the game," Gronkowski told ESPN when asked about a timetable for when he would decide on his future. "After a long season, after the [Super Bowl], a few weeks down the road, you sit back, you relax, you get some downtime, enjoyment time. And you just see where you want to go with it.''
Following last season, Gronkowski spent some of the offseason mulling his future. There was even speculation he would retire and join the WWE before he eventually announced he would be coming back for his ninth year this season.
Since college Gronkowski has had a notable injury history that has factored into some predicting his retirement will come sooner rather than later. Gronkowski's back cost him a season during his time at Arizona, and an ankle injury hampered his effort in the first Super Bowl he played in back in 2012 when the Patriots lost to the Giants 21-17.
In last season's AFC championship Gronkowski suffered a concussion that created some minor concern he would miss Super Bowl LII, but he did appear in that contest. In 2016 a herniated disc forced Gronkowski to miss the final five games of the regular season and New England's playoff run to capture Super Bowl LI.
Along with the back, Gronkowski has a history of ankle and knee injuries, and he suffered a serious forearm fracture that causes him to still wear a brace on his left arm. This season the ankle and back troubles played a role in him missing three games.
"How many more years my body could take?" Gronkowski mused. "In my opinion? That's a good question. Many. Many, many, many, many years. ... There is no number. As much years as I want to go. Yeah, I feel good. But, I mean, if you just work hard enough through the work days, you can keep going.''
He also said he has "to do that sit-down" to think about his future and playing longer. He added that "about two weeks after" Super Bowl LIII he should "know" what his plans will be.
Gronkowski's 47 catches, 682 yards and three touchdowns this season were all significant dropoffs from his 2017 production. He had 69 grabs, 1,084 yards and eight scores last season while earning the fourth All-Pro selection and fifth Pro Bowl bid of his career.
Since 2012, Gronkowski has missed 28 regular season games and five postseason games due to injury. He turns 30 in May.
