Mike Freeman Says Former Teammates Believe Gronk Will ‘Return For One More Shot’

Rob Gronkowski shocked everyone with his decision to retire. People kept saying that he will return at some point of the 2019 season. Gronk’s workout with Tom Brady at UCLA added fuel to the fire. Mike Freeman is convinced that Gronk will return.

“This isn’t to say a Gronkowski return is guaranteed to be in the works. But as we’ve reported before, some of his former Patriots teammates believe he will miss football so much this fall, he will return for one more shot, particularly if the Patriots are in contention (and they will be). Gronkowski’s recent actions only deepen that belief. It doesn’t mean he’s officially back. It just means Gronkowski is feeling the same pull that many players who love the game so much—from Michael Jordan to Jerry Rice—feel after retiring.

“Despite all he has accomplished and the accolades he has received, Gronk may not be able to quit football, even though it wrecks his body. The adrenaline rush. The power. The locker room. The camaraderie. It’s a drug, but it’s also just…love. So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if No. 87 makes a return late in the season. After all, it is Mr. Reliable, Robbie G, the one and only. Football is what he does.”

However, Gronk seems pretty sure that he will stay retired. He will miss the game, but he may not come back.

“There’s definitely going to be times when you miss it and everything,” Gronkowski told Rich Eisen when asked about the start of the season. “I would always say that it’s still the offseason right now. I mean I can’t really say how I’m going to feel about it when the games start rolling around and everything. You know, I just felt like it was time. I feel really good right now and it was just definitely something I thought it was the right time and the right thing to do.” 

Do you know that Gronk has never had his August off?

“You want to know something? I never had an August off in my life. So, it’s gonna be a little different,” Gronkowski said. “That’s when it’s gonna start really seeing the change is when that comes around in August when I’m not in training camp; I might not know what to do with myself. “To have that load off your back, I mean I’ve been playing football for 15 years straight in a row of that grind. Just relaxing right now feels good.”