Rob Gronkowski confirmed weeks of rumors, announcing his retirement from the NFL over the weekend.
The New England Patriots superstar ends his playing days with 521 catches for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns, staking his claim for the title of the best tight end of all time against the likes of Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates.
But those numbers, impressive as they are, actually pale in comparison to those of the former Kansas City Chiefs superstar and ageless Los Angeles Chargers icon due to the relative brevity of Gronkowski's nine-year career, one ending prematurely mostly due to the nagging pain of past injuries that cut two of his seasons well short of full.
According to his agent Drew Rosenhaus, though, there may be time yet for Gronkowski to close the statistical gap between he and other positional luminaries.
During an appearance on ESPN's Get Up! on Monday morning, Rosenhaus left open the possibility the Patriots' all-time leader in touchdown catches could return to the playing field next season after all.
“If the team was struggling or they needed him at some point next year, and let's just say, hypothetically, Tom Brady gave him a call and said, ‘Rob, I need you.' I wouldn't be shocked if he came back to play a few games,” he said.
Rosenhaus isn't the only one in the know who believes Gronkowski would be equipped to make a major impact after ending a brief retirement, either.
Asked at the NFL owners meeting if he could envision Gronkowski returning midway through next season for the Patriots, Arizona Cardinals superstar Larry Fitzgerald heartily endorsed the idea.
“Have you seen that guy? I think he'd be just fine,” he said, per Kevin Duffy of The Boston Herald. “There's nothing wrong with missing a couple weeks of training camp – good to the body. How fresh he'd be coming off? I mean, I think that could be a secret weapon for them down the stretch.”
Beware, NFL teams. Gronkowski's career might be done for now, but that doesn't mean it's finished forever.
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