Rob Gronkowski’s Agent “Wouldn’t Be Shocked” If He Returned

On Monday, Rob Gronkowski‘s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, mentioned during an appearance on ESPN that he “wouldn’t be shocked” if Gronk returned to the NFL at some point. 

“Rob is 29 years old. He’s still a very young man. It wouldn’t shock me if he has a change of heart, if he feels great and he decides that he wants to play football,” Rosenhaus said.

“But this is just me talking. This isn’t Rob. And I don’t want to create any unnecessary expectations. Rob is a very unique personality. If the team was struggling or they needed him at some point next year, and let’s just say hypothetically Tom Brady gave him a call and said ‘Rob, I need you,’ I wouldn’t be shocked if he came back to play a few games.”

Rosenhaus said he specifically brought up the possibility of returning when he spoke with Gronkowski on Sunday.

“Rob Gronkowski is retired and it’s unlikely that he will ever play football again,” Rosenhaus said. “However, I did close my conversation with Rob yesterday when he called to tell me he was going to retire, and I said, ‘Rob, just keep in mind that if you ever have a change of heart, you can come back and play. I’m sure the Patriots would welcome you with open arms. If it’s sometime during the season. If it’s late in the year. If you feel good and want to come back and play, we’ll make it happen.’

“That’s all. It was just a suggestion. I couldn’t let go without leaving that in Rob’s ear. Hey listen, Jason Witten did it. Witten [is] another Hall of Fame tight end; he took the year off and decided to come back.”

Regarding Gronkowski’s reaction to the possibility of returning, Rosenhaus said, “Nothing. A lot of fun. A lot of rest. Good times. Relaxation. Partying. Being himself. Being Gronk. Eventually we could see him doing TV, acting, a whole number of things. Appearances. Endorsements. He’s one of the biggest personalities. He won’t disappear. He’s going to have fun for a while, but he’ll be back in the limelight in the near future, I believe.”

Gronkowski officially announced his retirement via his Instagram account on Sunday. 

Gronkowski, 29, is a former second-round pick of the Patriots back in 2010. He was in the sixth year of his eight-year, $55.23 million contract that included $13.17 million guaranteed.

The Patriots will likely place Gronkowski on the reserve/retired list in the coming days, which ensure that they hold his rights should he elect to return at some point. 

For his career, Gronkowski caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards receiving and 79 touchdowns for the Patriots over the course of nine seasons and 115 games. He as a five-time Pro Bowler and a made four first-team All-Pros. He was also the Comeback Player of the Year in 2014.

We’ll have more regarding Gronkowski as the news is available.