Rob Gronkowski’s retirement gets a sweet message from Tom Brady

Tom Brady looks back on the career of Rob Gronkowski as the tight end announces for the second time that he is retiring from the NFL.

Brady took to his Instagram account to pay tribute to his longtime teammate. Brady won four Super Bowls with Gronkowski, and the quarterback threw 84 touchdown passes in the playoffs – the most by any duo in postseason history.

“Teammate, friend, brother, just a few words that come to mind when I think of @gronk. Throughout his career, no one has embodied the idea of ‘leaving it all on the field’ like Rob has. Every single fast, I knew that no matter how many guys you put in front of him, he would get to his spot,” Brady wrote on Instagram.

“What’s more important is that he’s the guy off the field. Focusing when he has to focus and having fun the rest of the time. It’s every NFL player’s dream to have Gronk in the locker room. I’m proud of what we have accomplished together and even more excited about what you have in front of you.

“Congratulations Gronk, you deserve it.”

Gronkowski was a second-round rookie for the New England Patriots in 2010. In his second season, he led the NFL with 17 touchdown catches and his emergence began to change the way NFL teams utilize their tight ends.

He would play in 115 games for the Patriots, making 521 catches, rushing for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns. He would announce his retirement at the end of the 2018 season out of concern for injuries.

However, once Tom Brady waived the Patriots for the Buccaneers before the 2020 season, Gronkowski would be enough for Gronkowski to come out of retirement to play in Tampa Bay.

He would help the Buccaneers reach the Super Bowl that year and score two touchdowns in the game to bring Tampa Bay its second championship in team history

Last season, Gronkowski played in only 12 games due to injury, and Tampa Bay did not make it to the Super Bowl after winning the division.

He finished his career with 92 touchdowns and 621 receptions for 9,286 yards. He ranks third among tight ends in touchdowns, while he ranks fifth among tight ends in receiving yards.