By Matthew Cunha,
After Super Bowl LII, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was asked about his future in the NFL. He did not shutdown the possibility of retirement at the age of 28.
“I’m definitely going to look at my future for sure. I’m going to sit down the next couple of weeks and see where I’m at.”
“I’m not ready for these types of questions right now. I’m just going to sit down, I’m going to talk to my teammates. We fought all year long … I’m just going to reflect on the season, proud of the boys, and see what happens.”
A report from Bill Burt of The Eagle Tribune said that the tight end is considering a career in acting. A WWE career for the charismatic Gronkowski is also a possibility considering his guest appearance at last year’s WrestleMania. It is thought that his latest concussion in the AFC championship game is the reasoning for these rumors.
As a diehard Patriots fan, these types of rumors sicken me. The large human that is Gronk is a match-up nightmare for any opposing team. Other than my own selfish reasons, there are plenty of reasons why Gronk should stick around in the NFL.
- Gronk is in reach of Tight End Records – Gronk sits at 77 TD’s. Antonio Gates has 114 TD’s for the most of any tight end in history. 37 TD’s for Gronk would amount to just around three more seasons plus playoffs with his TD per game played ratio being around .75. Three more TD’s would put Gronk in 3rd place all time. At 1000 yards a year, for 3 more years, Gronk would move up to 4th place all-time for receiving yards behind Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, and Antonio Gates. He currently sits in 8th with 7179 yards. Gronk is the current leader in yards per game with 70.4.
- He can Ride-out Bill Belichick and Tom Brady – I used three years when referencing where that would put him in the record books. Realistically, that’s the max length of Bill and Brady in New England. If those two are here, the Patriots will have a chance to win the Super Bowl. For Gronkowski, the chance of winning Super Bowls is a hard opportunity to pass up. If that trio can grab another Super Bowl or two, Gronk can climb up the record books, win more Super Bowls, and ride off as legend in New England alongside Brady and Belichick.
- Football > WWE + Acting Combined – Gronk is a football player. We know he would rather be out in battle on the Gridiron than taking part of the scripted, time-wasting child’s play that is the WWE. Although, Gronk does also hostsome childish TV show on Nickelodeon. The Burt article cited that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Sylvester Stallone told him he could make millions a year in actions movies. I can buy into that lifestyle, but how realistic is it that a guy with no acting experience can seriously make it in that industry on name alone? He can make enough money from endorsements and whatever else he chooses to do, but if Gronk wants to be a legend and keep his ego, he needs to stick with football.
