In a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski spoke about how life has changed since retiring from pro football, and what he misses about the game.
The conversation naturally and inevitably turned to Gronkowski’s friend and former teammate Tom Brady, who he played with at the New England Patriots and more recently the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady announced his retirement from the NFL in February this year, a decision which he then promptly reversed. Gronkowski told Kimmel that he got a text from Brady the day before the news officially broke, letting him know of his plans to come out of retirement and play another season as QB with the Buccaneers.
“I’m like ah, there he goes again with his tricks,” he joked. “The day before free agency hits, he’s unretiring so everybody stays in Tampa.”
He added that Brady’s return to the game didn’t come as a shock to him, as he believes he has the longevity to play past the age of 50: “I wasn’t surprised at all, I was actually surprised by how quick it was, because I thought he was possibly going to take a year off,” he said. “I believe he’ll have until at least 50 years old. I mean, I see his work ethic day in and day out, and it’s second to none.”
When asked if he was tempted to join Brady back at the Bucs, Gronkowski didn’t give a direct answer, instead speaking about the value of the partnership that he and Brady built over their many seasons on the field together—as well as the physical toll that his years as a tight end took.
“It’s so hard to get that connection, especially in the NFL world, it doesn’t last that long,” he said. “It’s definitely in the back of my mind, it’s not really like do I want to be there, it’s about playing the game, I want to be there with the guys, that’s the best part, being part of the team… Do I want to do that, week in week out schedule? It’s a brutal game for sure. I mean, I’m blocking guys that are sometimes 300 pounds in front of me, they’re coming full speed smashing me… I do love that, but it can get grueling.”
While he may not be planning to go back to the NFL, Gronk is still staying in shape, telling Kimmel that that he is currently working out at least twice a week. “When I just do it two or three times a week, I go hard, I just go full-out, do full body,” he said.
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