2018 Gronk Watch

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Hoya81

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I wonder if going through the full protocol scared him enough to start thinking about his long term future
 

Reverend

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Asking people questions like that after a Super Bowl loss is stupid.

Like, I’ve got a list of FANS with whom I wouldn’t bother asking life questions after a regular season loss.
 

epraz

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The question mentioned a rumor he was considering retiring. His response started out saying he didn't know where the reporter heard that and that he would take time to consider things. The video sounded better than those quotes.
 

BigSoxFan

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7 catches, 89 yards, 2 TDs. Ties John Stallworth for 2nd all time behind Jerry Rice.

I reckon it’s a negotiating position.
Probably more just an emotional reaction after a tough loss. He’ll be back next year. Professional football is a grinding season and coming up short after all the practices, meetings, medical treatment, etc. just has to take a ton out of you. To the Pats’ credit, they always come back but I feel like every player needs a Hawaii vacation or something after a loss like this.
 

Ed Hillel

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Still in the prime of his career. His most injury free year. Still has 1-2 years of Brady. Why would he walk away?
Three major back surgeries, two major surgeries on his forearm, multiple concussions, major knee surgery, etc. The non-Pats fan rational side of me kinda hopes he does. He’s set for life, it would be a real shame to ruin the rest of it at this point.
 

Ralphwiggum

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Gronk also reportedly laid off of drinking and partying during the season. He needs to go decompress, drink a beer or 50, and then re-assess.

We probably only have 1-2 years of Gronk being GRONK left anyway, but I don’t think he’ll walk away when he’s still the best at what he does.
 

TheoShmeo

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Three major back surgeries, two major surgeries on his forearm, multiple concussions, major knee surgery, etc. The non-Pats fan rational side of me kinda hopes he does. He’s set for life, it would be a real shame to ruin the rest of it at this point.
Right. If I was close to Gronk, I would tell him to retire. He’s already at risk for having scrambled brains.

It would diminish the Pats’ chances and that would suck. It would also suck not to be able to root for him going forward. But....
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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Three major back surgeries, two major surgeries on his forearm, multiple concussions, major knee surgery, etc. The non-Pats fan rational side of me kinda hopes he does. He’s set for life, it would be a real shame to ruin the rest of it at this point.
I love Gronk, as much as anyone, but do you really think he’s taking this tact?
 

nattysez

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7 catches, 89 yards, 2 TDs. Ties John Stallworth for 2nd all time behind Jerry Rice.

I reckon it’s a negotiating position.
Cynicism is usually the right attitude in this day and age, but I don't think it'd be illegitimate for Gronk -- he of the restructured elbow, balky back and a concussion -- to take some time at the end of any season to consider whether he's taken enough of a beating. Between his salary and endorsements, he's got to have $20mm or so in the bank at this point (that's probably low), and would likely be able to keep earning endorsement money for a few more years post-career.

That said, he's only 28, so aiming to finish out his current deal (which expires after next season, I believe) seems like a more likely scenario.

Edit: Took forever to type this out, so apologies to Ed for echoing his more succinct post here.
 

Ed Hillel

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I love Gronk, as much as anyone, but do you really think he’s taking this tact?
I don’t understand your question. Are you asking me if I think he’s actually considering retiring? If so, I would say yes.

Dude’s a celebrity already, he can do whatever he wants and enjoy the hell out of life while racking in money without taking on any more risk to his body.
 

PaulinMyrBch

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MYRTLE BEACH!!!!
First of all, out of all of our guys that get interviewed, Gronk is always the one that seems to be saying what he's supposed to say (copy and paste stuff) and rarely appears to say what he truly thinks. It's a very odd vibe when he's being interviewed, like you can see the wheels spinning to get the "Patriot Way" answer to the front of his brain. Other guys go with the stock answers, but are much more natural in their delivery and response.

Second, Gronk was specifically asked about the Florio report and it seemed to hit him out of the blue. So the topic was put in front of him and in response to that, we get this stock answer. I doubt very seriously this answer from Gronk is even close to an original thought. He rarely gives us anything that sounds real in post game interviews.

My guess is at worst he's looking for some leverage to get the salary bump that he got last season. The Pats gave him very easily attainable goals and he hit them all, but he's got no leverage to ask for it again. It's also possible, the Patriot Way response to that type of question, is "decompress, sit down with family, and evaluate in a few weeks".
 

Reverend

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Anybody who’s been in the league a few years, has a ring, and has amassed financial independence for himself and his family who does NOT periodically and regularly consider retirement from professional football is probably too fucking stupid to grasp the offense.
 

stp

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The Shazier injury could be on his mind. I could be mis-remembering this, but I think after one of his major injuries he said something along the line of "I'm not sure I want to keep doing this" about the rehab.
 

bigq

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Anybody who’s been in the league a few years, has a ring, and has amassed financial independence for himself and his family who does NOT periodically and regularly consider retirement from professional football is probably too fucking stupid to grasp the offense.
Agree. The dude just got his bell rung in a big way. Combine that with his history of surgeries and rehab and it seems like retirement is a practical consideration. What more does he have to prove? On the other hand I think he really loves to play football.
 

loshjott

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ESPN: Reports: Police investigating possible break-in at Rob Gronkowski's home

The entire report:

Police are investigating a possible break-in at the home of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski in Foxborough, Massachusetts, according to multiple reports.
Gronkowski lives just a few miles from Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots returned late Monday afternoon after Sunday's Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Minneapolis.
Police arrived at the home at about 6 p.m. local time, and both local and state police were on the scene for much of the night, according to reports.
 

OnWisc

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The fact that anyone can wonder why Gronk is considering retirement after seeing what happened to him in the AFC Championship Game (and Cooks in the Super Bowl) and knowing what the future is like for some of these guys goes a long way toward explaining how the NFL has somehow been able to keep things more or less business-as-usual while never really doing much to address the issue.
 

dcmissle

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The fact that anyone can wonder why Gronk is considering retirement after seeing what happened to him in the AFC Championship Game (and Cooks in the Super Bowl) and knowing what the future is like for some of these guys goes a long way toward explaining how the NFL has somehow been able to keep things more or less business-as-usual while never really doing much to address the issue.
People buy the rube narrative on Gronkowski. The joke is on them. At least as of last year, he has consistently saved and invested every dollar from the Pats and lived off ancillary income.

Again he is being smart. Gronkowski either is honestly contemplating retirement — smart move — or he is signaling the Pats, “don’t even think about coming to me with team-friendly restructure — I.e. pay cut — nonsense.” Which also is smart.
 

Ed Hillel

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Gronk is making 8 million next season. There is zero chance Belichick was ever going to restructure that deal, unless it’s to add further incentives like he did this season. Gronk at 8 million is the no brainer of the century.
 

BuellMiller

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Too bad, before last year, maybe Gronk could have used his connection inside prison to get a lead, too.
 

nattysez

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Consider the source -- the guy who once wrote "Se la vi" instead of "C'est la vie" at the end of a column -- but Gronk may want to go the Marvelous Marvin Hagler route.

Patriots "All-World" tight end Rob Gronkowski is considering retirement to pursue a career in acting, according to a source.

Gronkowski, nicknamed "Gronk," has been told by two Hollywood superstars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Sylvester Stallone, that he could make millions of dollars in action films.

Gronkowski has told friends that the injuries have taken a toll on him.

So has the fact that his contract, which was "sweetened" last year, but is still team-friendly. He earned the top value this past season -- $10.75 million -- only because he was voted the top tight end in football (All-Pro).
 

BaseballJones

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Gronk also reportedly laid off of drinking and partying during the season. He needs to go decompress, drink a beer or 50, and then re-assess.

We probably only have 1-2 years of Gronk being GRONK left anyway, but I don’t think he’ll walk away when he’s still the best at what he does.
Gronk is GRONK because of his combination of size, hands, speed, blocking ability and recklessness. If he lost some speed and recklessness, he'd still be an upper-level TE in the NFL because he isn't getting any smaller, he will still have great hands, and he will still be a tremendous blocker. Ben Coates was slowed considerably at the end and he was still pretty darned good, and he wasn't as big as Gronk, nor as good a blocker.
 

lexrageorge

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Gronk is undoubtedly aware of the stories of former NFL players having extreme difficulty just living daily life. He likely knows at least some of them. I realize that most NFL athletes in their 20's and early 30's think that it won't happen to them. Or that there's no point in worrying now about what their quality of life will be like in their 50's, 60's, or 70's. Or that it's just media overhype, as there are former players that are doing fine healthwise.

It's quite possible that Gronk thinks otherwise. He's got about 3-4 years of peak earnings remaining, assuming no major injuries. After that, even if he's effective, he'll be paid like other football players in their mid-30's with injury histories. He could probably get an extension this offseason with some nice guaranteed money if he really wants. But then he's committing himself to a few years of more pounding, and I can see why he wouldn't want that. He took a nasty shot to the head, and it probably wasn't his first concussion. So I wouldn't exactly be shocked if he decided to join the movie circuit and make money in a far less physically demanding career.
 

sodenj5

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I’m rooting for Gronk to become an actor, not because I want to see it as a Dolphins fan, but because I want to embrace and love Gronk like my special needs nephew.

Despite the image of giant, dumb meathead, Gronk actually seems pretty smart when it comes to decisions about his life and his career after football. At the very least, he could be a WWE superstar for as long as he wanted. It might take a few years, but I could see him eventually becoming a viable actor.

The point is he probably has options available to him that most NFL players do not, and he doesn’t necessarily have to play football until his body completely gives out like a lot of guys do.
 

TheoShmeo

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I’m rooting for Gronk to become an actor, not because I want to see it as a Dolphins fan, but because I want to embrace and love Gronk like my special needs nephew.

Despite the image of giant, dumb meathead, Gronk actually seems pretty smart when it comes to decisions about his life and his career after football. At the very least, he could be a WWE superstar for as long as he wanted. It might take a few years, but I could see him eventually becoming a viable actor.

The point is he probably has options available to him that most NFL players do not, and he doesn’t necessarily have to play football until his body completely gives out like a lot of guys do.
It's got to be at least a little bit tied to being a Dolphins fan. If he was traded to the Dolphins tomorrow, I doubt you'd want Gronk to become an actor next year.

I want a few more years of this rare talent catches passes from Tom Brady in NE. And I will not be even a little bit surprised if he actually hangs it up now. It's probably exactly what he should do.
 

Boston Brawler

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Reports by a credible pro wrestling reporter (Meltzer) that WWE is trying to recruit Gronk on a similar contract that they just gave Rousey.
 

Van Everyman

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If Gronk is considering retiring from football for health reasons, becoming a wrestler seems like a pretty terrible idea.
 

bsj

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I'm starting to get uneasy. I feel like it clearly wasnt an "in the moment" statement, as evidenced by the fact we havent heard anything since then.

I'm hoping he comes back for one more so we can at least not make a TE such a priority this offseason. We have a lot of other needs right now.
 

Reverend

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Gronk doesn’t even know what the odds are yet.
 

BigSoxFan

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I think Gronk comes back at least another year but he seems to be another Calvin Johnson. He’s played 8 years and his body, which was already in rough shape coming out of college, has been through a ton. He’s been very smart with his money and seems to have real earning potential outside of football. All the signs are there for an early exit from football. I’d rather see Gronk go out on his terms than deal with another Barry Church situation.

The hit on the field would be immense but as long as Brady is there and playing well, they’d still be very good. There are going to be a lot of big changes in this organization over the next 2-3 years and they’re all going to be a bit of a shock to our systems.
 
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