Rob Gronkowski cut his Hall of Fame career short over the weekend, announcing his retirement after just nine NFL seasons. According to his agent, though, the New England Patriots were lucky the superstar tight end didn't hang up his cleats even earlier.

Asked during a Monday appearance on PFT Live if Gronkowski considered retiring after the 2018 season, Drew Rosenhaus suggested as much:

“He said that to me yesterday, ‘I won another championship. It’s three, the time’s right,” he said of Gronkowski.

The Patriots, of course, avenged a stunning loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in last year's Super Bowl to beat the Los Angeles Rams for the Lombardi Trophy this year. Gronkowski didn't put up huge numbers during his last championship run with the Patriots, totaling just 13 catches and no touchdowns in the playoffs, but made several huge plays nonetheless, most notably late in the team's dramatic overtime victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game and on the game-winning drive in the Super Bowl.

After New England beat Los Angeles 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII, Gronkowski, during an on-field interview with Tracy Wolfson of CBS, seemed to suggest he was seriously considering retirement, saying winning another ring “would be a wonderful way to go out.” He would walk back those comments shortly thereafter, saying a decision on his playing future would be made in the coming weeks. The 29-year-old had previously threatened to retire before the 2018 season, when news broke that the Patriots were considering trading him to the Detroit Lions.

Rob Gronkowski, New England's all-time leader in touchdown catches, finishes his career with 521 receptions for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns.