It seems like everywhere Rob Gronkowski goes, the question of him wanting to play football gets tossed around. Super Bowl week is no different.
Gronk hopped on Barstool Sports Radio on Thursday night and, of course, he was asked if he had the itch to come back and play.
Did you get the urge at any point this season to play in a game?
Rob Gronkowski on @BarstoolRadio: “No, not at all.”
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) January 30, 2020
The former tight end has had a lot on his plate ever since he called it quits from football so it is not surprising to learn that he never really thought of the idea of coming back this season. Plus, if you’ve been following anything he’s been doing, you can tell he is having a blast living his retirement life.
Gronkowski did have an intriguing answer for when he was asked if he could ever see himself playing in the league again.
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"You think there's a chance you play again?" — Dave Portnoy on @BarstoolRadio
"I don't know man. I think the door is always open. I'm only 30." — @RobGronkowski
— Deke Zucker (@Barstool_Quotes) January 30, 2020
And so the game of “will he, or won’t he?” continues.
While saying he would keep the door open for a return, in the same breath, Gronk mentions that he is in the best shape of his life. He also said that he still has one year left on his contract with the Patriots, a statement that will surely perk up the ears of every rabid New England fan.
Whether or not Bill Belichick would take the All-Pro tight end back or not is up for debate, but it’s pretty clear that Gronkowski isn’t sure if 2018 was his swan song or not.
Speaking of that 2018 season, Gronk also spoke a little bit about that, as well.
Gronk on @BarstoolRadio: “I 100 percent lost a step (last year). I actually lost like three steps some games. I didn’t even want to be out there on the field. I was like, ‘Yo, I feel like complete ass. Coach, put Dwayne (Allen) in, I don’t even care.’ I was at that point.”
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) January 30, 2020
Although he is pretty much confirming what most fans could visibly see on the field, it’s still shocking to hear a player who has such a love for the game talk about just how miserable it made him. Given the smashmouth way that he played the position, it’s no wonder that all those hits eventually took a toll on him.
Rob Gronkowski the football player may have seemed superhuman at times, but Rob Gronkowski the man had obviously taken too much abuse.
Gronk has nothing left to prove on the field. Three Super Bowl rings and countless highlight-reel plays back that up. But who is to say after a year of rehabbing his body that he doesn’t decide to lace them up one last time and add one more championship to his Hall of Fame resume?
