Rob Gronkowski Still Isn't Ruling Out Returning to NFL After 2019
Rob Gronkowski still isn't ruling out a return to the NFL but says it won't come in 2019.
"I wouldn't say 'never coming back.' I'm 30 years old. I'm young. I still stay fit, still watch the game whenever I can still enjoy it. I'm feeling good, but you know, one year off could possibly be the case. Or maybe two years off, man," Gronkowski told ESPN on Tuesday.
"It's always an option in the back of my head. It's not like I'm not staying in shape and not doing anything. I'm never stressed over it."
Despite leaving football, Gronkowski will return to the Super Bowl this year. He announced on Tuesday that he is hosting a Super Bowl party in Miami this February.
Despite retiring, he told ESPN he's continued to keep up with the Patriots this season.
After Tom Brady expressed his frustration with New England's offense in last Sunday's low-scoring win over the Eagles, the former tight end joked that the team is missing him.
"The defense is just tremendous, the way they're coming together with the veteran leadership they have there, and the skill set they have," he said. "With the offense, they're finding ways to make it work like they've always done, putting guys in the right situation to make plays. But man, they're missing some guy who is 6-6, 260 [pounds]. They're missing that guy, for sure."
In August, Gronkowski told reporters he could physically return to football but was not mentally in a place to come back. He added that he does not see himself coming out of retirement any time in the "foreseeable future."
Gronkowski won three Super Bowls and was a four-time All-Pro in nine seasons with New England. He retired with the fourth-most touchdowns of any tight end, finding the end zone 79 times in 115 games. Gronkowski was as a second-round pick in 2010.
He had 81 receptions and 12 touchdowns in 16 career playoff games and tallied six receptions for 87 yards in the Patriots' 13–3 win over the Rams in Super Bowl LIII, despite injuring his thigh.
