The New England Patriots clearly missed Rob Gronkowski this season, but that does not mean the tight end wasn't in decline during his final year in the NFL.
During an interview with Barstool Radio, Gronkowski admitted that he wasn't the same player in 2018:
“I 100 percent lost a step (last year),” said Gronkowski. “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 a–. Coach, put Dwayne (Allen) in, I don’t even care.’ I was at that point.”
In 13 games that season, Gronkowski caught 47 passes for 682 yards and three touchdowns. While those are very solid numbers for your average tight end, they weren't what we were accustomed to seeing from Gronk, who put together four 1,000-yard campaigns during his nine-year NFL career and did so as recently as 2017.
However, in the playoffs, Gronkowski came up big, logging six catches for 79 yards in an AFC Championship Game win over the Kansas City Chiefs and finishing with six grabs for 87 yards in the Patriots' Super Bowl victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
The 30-year-old then announced his retirement last February.
While Gronkowski has not entirely closed the door on an NFL return, it does not seem all that likely, as he did not seem all that interested in returning this season, and now, he is another year older.
Most importantly, Rob Gronkowski has a handful of concussions in his rearview mirror, so that is something he almost surely does not want to put his body through again.
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