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The season began with a surprise retirement in Andrew Luck, and it is ending with another one that is as equally shocking. Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly has announced his retirement from the league at the age of 28, but Rob Gronkowski is putting his doubts on whether the retirement is permanent.
Gronk took to Twitter to congratulate the linebacker for a spectacular career that may see him enter the Hall of Fame. However, he immediately — and jokingly — questioned when he will return to the league as a show of doubt.
Congrats @LukeKuechly on early retirement. You were a fearless player out there on the field. Soooo….when are you coming back??
— Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski) January 15, 2020
There have been plenty of players who announced their retirement only to come back to the team. Given the fact that Kuechly called it quits at a very young age, it's likely that he'll be able to return to the field after a quick break and try to solidify his spot in the Hall of Fame by winning himself a Super Bowl.
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Obviously, Gronk is making jokes, as his retirement was met with people suggesting he would eventually return to the gridiron.
He played a solid season for the Panthers this season, leading the way with 144 tackles, 12 pass deflections, and two interceptions. He's easily one of the best pass defenders the league has ever seen. However, injuries may have affected his performance and forced him to draw the curtains on his career.
“There's only one way to play this game since I was a little kid — play fast, play physical and play strong,” Kuechly said, via ESPN's David Newton. “And at this point I don't know if I am able to do that anymore. That's the part that is the most difficult.”
Kuechly paused to gather his emotions.
“I still want to play, but I don't think it's the right decision,” he continued. “I thought about it for a long time. Now is an opportunity to step away with what's going on here.”
Besides the Panthers linebacker, Gronk is also getting questions about his return. The Patriots' atrocious performance against the Tennessee Titans showed how big his return would have been if he was on the team. Unfortunately, he has no plans to return to the Patriots any time soon.
