Rocio Robles
Historic tight end Rob Gronkowski is still deciding whether to play in the NFL for the 2022 season or retire from football for the second time in his career.
According to statements he gave to TMZ.com, Rob Gronkowski is not 100 percent focused on the sport and has avoided catching balls, even at charity events, so as not to feel pressured to make a decision.
“I knew if I started catching some passes my head would have started spinning and telling me, ‘Oh, hell, I’ve got to get back on the field,'” the tight end confessed. “And right now, I’m not ready to get back on the field. I’m not ready to commit to football right now.”
The news comes after many expected “Gronk” to announce his return to the gridiron with his great friend, Tom Brady. However, Brady seems to be true to what he said last January: that he wanted to take some time to think about his future as an active player.
“If they tell me, ‘Rob, you have to decide right now, this second, if you’re going to play next year,’ I would say no,” Rob Gronkowski told TMZ. “I just want to heal completely and better analyze everything I feel and think. If I had to answer now, it would be no. But you never know, in three weeks it could be yes.”
This would not be the first time Rob Gronkowski has missed an NFL campaign, as previously, in March 2019, the tight end announced his retirement from the circuit. On that occasion, the now 32-year-old player alleged physical problems due to the number of operations he has had to undergo on his back.
Tampa Bay is still hopeful that Brady can convince him to play one more season, while the Buffalo Bills have been rumoured as one of the organizations that has bid the hardest for the powerful tight end.
Rob Gronkowski and his NFL numbers
In the discussion of who is the best tight end in league history, Rob Gronkowkis’ name comes up without a doubt.
As he has been an important part of the New England Patriots dynasty in the last decade, “Gronk’s” numbers are truly impressive if we take into account that he is the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdowns scored through the air with 79 and ranks second in receiving yards with 7,861. Yes, all that as a tight end, not as a receiver.
After returning from his retirement in 2020, Rob Gronkowski signed with Tampa Bay, where he played the last two seasons and put up decent stats, recording 100 receptions, 1,425 yards and 13 touchdowns.
But Gronkowski’s numbers don’t finish there. In addition to being an excellent blocker, his postseason stats are insane. Tom Brady’s best friend on the gridiron has 98 receptions, 1,389 yards and 15 touchdowns in 22 games between the Patriots and Buccaneers.
His place in the Hall of Fame would be more than assured since he also accumulates five Pro-Bowl, four All-Pro team selections, a Comeback of the Year award in 2014, four Super Bowl wins (3 with Patriots and 1 with Tampa Bay) and belongs to the 2010 era Hall of Fame team.
