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NFL legend Rob Gronkowski has watched college football change drastically from his Arizona football days. The words “name, image, and likeness” never lined up together when he was with the Wildcats. The transfer portal never existed either.
“Gronk” sounded off on the new era of CFB Wednesday evening ahead of the L.A. Bowl — which he serves as the host. The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star understands player's wants and needs in this era. But he didn't hesitate to use the word “chaos” to describe the new CFB model.
“I’m more of a guy who’s more about loyalty,” Gronkowski began with reporters. “I understand the portal, I understand what these players are going through and the opportunity to catch that once-in-a-lifetime paycheck before the NFL. So, the NIL is good in that way. But overall, I think it needs to be contained a little bit.”
The two L.A. Bowl representatives UNLV and Cal endured high profile transfer/NIL stories. The Rebels endured Matthew Sluka leaving during the season amid a controversial NIL decision. The Golden Bears, meanwhile, lost their starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza once the portal opened in early December. Mendoza's move also became influenced by NIL, per multiple reports. However, Matt Zenitz of 247Sports pointed out that Mendoza's exit could boost his draft chances ahead of 2026.
“To have these players transferring right now with the portal open five days before bowl games and the playoffs or heading into any type of game you’re heading into, I think there’s a little chaos,” Gronkowski said.
Is Rob Gronkowski offering a solution?
Gronkowski views football through a new lens as an analyst. The four-time Super Bowl winner didn't mince words about what the NCAA needs to do involving the portal and NIL.
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“It needs to be controlled,” Gronkowski bluntly said. “The substance of what’s going on needs to be controlled.”
The Fox NFL Sunday analyst agrees there's elements pertaining to NIL that benefits today's student-athletes.
“I think it’s great for the players,” he said. “But overall, I feel like just a little bit more loyalty needs to happen.”
Gronkowski caught passes for Arizona in 2007 and 2008. He admitted he had an “okay” college football career compared to his league run. He scored 10 touchdowns on opposing defenses in '08. Gronkowski also grabbed 47 passes for 672 yards that season — ultimately landing on NFL radars.
Unfortunately his stock dropped in 2009. Gronkowski missed the 2009 season due to back surgery. But the Patriots saw lots of value in the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder and grabbed him at No. 42 overall in the 2010 draft class.
He's now hosting the L.A. Bowl for the second straight season inside Inglewood's SoFi Stadium. Gronkowski concluded he loves the fact the game is the only Wednesday primetime contest. Last year's L.A. Bowl competed with three different NFL games.
