Rob Gronkowski to sign one-day contract to retire a Patriot for life
By Veronica Haynes, David Bienick
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FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will return to Foxborough on Wednesday to sign a contract to retire, again, as a Patriot.
“I am signing a one-day contract with the Patriots this week, coming up to retire as a Patriot and be a Patriot for life,” Gronkowski announced on Fox ahead of Sunday’s Patriots-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game.
New England selected Gronkowski, now 36, with the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft, and he played nine of his 11 NFL seasons with the team.
He first retired from the NFL in 2019, after winning three Super Bowl titles with the Patriots, but he returned to the sport in 2020 to reunite with quarterback Tom Brady and play for the Buccaneers. Together, they helped to win another Super Bowl for that organization.
He retired from football for a second time in 2022.
But this time around, the force behind the decision to officially retire as a Patriot is his close friend and local philanthropist Susan Hurley, who died of ovarian cancer on Nov. 1. She and Gronk teamed up on several projects, including the renovation of a Boston playground that they dedicated together in August.
During the ceremony, Hurley turned to Patriots owner Robert Kraft and said now’s the time to make this happen.
“My mom was not afraid to put up her hand and say this is something that’s got to happen. So, when she turned to (Kraft) and said, ‘I really think Rob should be retiring as a Patriot,’ it’s just something that needed to happen. And she was the one that was just going to make it so,” said Hurley’s son, Max McGillivray.
Hurley’s family will be at Gillette Stadium in her honor on Wednesday.
Since his second retirement, Gronkowski also has worked as an analyst within Fox’s NFL coverage, served as the grand marshal for the Boston Marathon and helped upgrade a weight room at a Boston school.
Overall, Gronkowski finished his career with 621 receptions for 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns. He was selected to five Pro Bowls and had four first-team All-Pro selections.
Gronkowski will be eligible to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2026 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027.
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