Gronk and the Dolphins

Rob Gronkowski ended weeks of speculation Tuesday when he announced on social media he was walking away from the NFL, overshadowing other news items with an indirect connection to the Miami Dolphins.

During his 11 NFL seasons, nine with the New England Patriots and the past two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gronkowski put himself in the conversation as the greatest tight end in league history.

GRONKOWSKI AGAINST THE DOLPHINS

Gronkowski had his share of success against the Dolphins through the years, but Miami made out relatively well against him compared to many other teams in the league and the other AFC East teams specifically.

In 13 games against the Dolphins, Gronkowski averaged 4.3 catches and 64.5 yards with nine overall touchdowns.

Gronkowski had 32 career 100-yard receiving games, the most ever by an NFL tight end, and three came against Miami, compared to six against the Buffalo Bills and four against the New York Jets.

Of his 20 games with multiple touchdowns, only one came against the Dolphins (in a 35-17 New England victory in the 2017 season), while he had three apiece against the Bills and Jets.

Gronkowski was inactive when the Dolphins played at Tampa Bay last season, though the Buccaneers didn't miss him much in a 45-17 victory.

Gronkowski's last game against the Dolphins came in 2018 at Hard Rock Stadium and he was on the wrong end of the "Miami Miracle," one of the greatest plays in Dolphins history.

For some reason, the Patriots had Gronkowski playing deep safety when the Dolphins took their final snap from their 31-yard line down 33-28 with 16 seconds left. After a completion from Ryan Tannehill to Kenny Stills and laterals to DeVante Parker and then Kenyan Drake, Gronkowski was the last line of defense but stumbled as Drake ran around him and into the end zone to complete the stunning play.

“We all had to look in the mirror… Who are we going to be and what are we going to be?”

The @McCourtyTwins take us through the mentality coming off two tough losses. 👇

📺: #AmericasGame on NFL Network pic.twitter.com/uHTNPDarxB
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 5, 2019

At the very least, the Dolphins in a way ended up having the last laugh against Gronk.

FITZ IN THE BOOTH

As had been suspected after he decided to retire, Ryan Fitzpatrick will be heading into the broadcast booth.

Amazon announced Tuesday that Fitzpatrick would be joining its Thursday night announcing crew for pregame, halftime and postgame shows.

Thursdays are about to be Fitzmagical. 🧔‍♂️

Ryan Fitzpatrick is joining our Thursday Night Football team, only on @PrimeVideo!#TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/A8g8k2cz30
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) June 21, 2022

Fitzpatrick's career ended with one game with Washington in 2021 after he played the previous two seasons with the Dolphins,

Miami will play one Thursday night game in 2022, Sept. 29 on the road against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.

WATSON WATCH

The attorney for the plaintiffs alleging sexual misconduct against now-Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson revealed Tuesday that 20 of the 24 civil lawsuits had been settled with no-disclosure agreements.

BREAKING: Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has settled 20 sexual misconduct lawsuits against him; he still faces 4 other lawsuits and potential NFL discipline. https://t.co/DsXFMlBfEx
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) June 21, 2022

That has led to speculation that a decision finally could be forthcoming regarding an NFL suspension.

And that brings us to remind everyone that Cleveland will come to Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 13 for its ninth game of the season, meaning it would end up as Watson's Browns debut in the event of an eight-game suspension.