New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski loves Foxboro so much, he threatened to retire if he got shipped to another team during the offseason, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
During the offseason, while he stayed away from the team and mulled retirement, the Patriots engaged in trade talks centered around star tight end Rob Gronkowski. They had several interested parties, and at one point, it appeared a deal would get done to send Gronk to a new team, sources say.
But when Gronkowski learned of his new reality, he strongly resisted. He informed the Patriots that he would rather step away from football and retire than play for another team, coach or quarterback. He told people close to him that he only wants to catch passes from Tom Brady.
Rob Gronkowski hasn’t played for another team than the Patriots so far in his NFL career. Selected by New England in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Gronkowski’s strong stance in the offseason resulted in the restructuring of his contract, with the Patriots adding $4.3 million per year to his deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Gronk didn’t waste much time in showing that he deserves his salary upgrade.
In Sunday’s 27-20 Patriots win over the Houston Texans, Gronkowski exploded for 123 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. New England is Gronkowski’s happy place and that performance couldn’t highlight that point any better.
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