The New England Patriots haven’t closed the door on legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski potentially ending his retirement for one last run at another Super Bowl — at least not yet.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Patriots owner Robert Kraft reportedly went up to Gronkowski when he was cleaning out his locker and told him the team wanted him back for “November, December and the playoffs.”
Nothing appears imminent on Gronkowski’s end. He would have until Nov. 30 to come off the reserve/retirement list to rejoin the team.
The Patriots have a tremendous void at the tight end position, which forced them to bring in 38-year-old Benjamin Watson and inquire about the possibility of a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for O.J. Howard. There has been a precipitous drop in receiving production and the ability to run the football compared to last seson.
It would be surprising if Gronkowski would actually consider coming back after his emotional press conference back in August, when he claimed football was “bringing him down.”
There isn’t a football fan alive that doesn’t miss seeing arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history trucking defenders, making ridiculous circus catches, Gronk-spiking in the end zone and cracking the sort of elementary-style humor that still tugged at your funny strings.
But life after football is already in full swing for Gronkowski. Not only does he look noticeably slimmer, but he also accepted a job as an analyst for Fox Sports in October. He is showing every sign of a man that looks to be moving on with his life.
Maybe it’s time for the Patriots to move on, too.
