Robert James Gronkowski (born May 14, 1989), nicknamed "Gronk", is a former American football tight end who played his entire professional career for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) until his retirement in March 2019. He is a three-time Super Bowl champion (XLIX, LI, LIII), a five-time Pro Bowl selection, four-time First Team All-Pro selection, and was the highest ranked tight end in the annual NFL Top 100 Players five times.
Gronkowski played college football at the University of Arizona, winning several awards, including being named a Sporting News and Rivals.com Freshman All-American. The Patriots drafted Gronkowski in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the 42nd pick, after missing his junior year due to back surgery.
Notable for being a skilled receiver and talented blocker, Gronkowski has set several NFL records, including being the only one of his position to ever lead the league in receiving touchdowns (17) in 2011. He also has the most career postseason receiving yards by a tight end (1,163) – the only tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 or more yards. He has the most career postseason receiving touchdowns for his position with 12, as well as the most combined receptions (23) and receiving yards (297) by a tight end in Super Bowl history. He is ranked first in average receiving yards per game (68.3), average yards per target (9.9), and average touchdowns per game (0.69) among tight ends.[1]
Gronkowski is one of the most popular football players of the 2010s, with a larger-than-life personality on and off the field. With his numerous accomplishments and accolades, he is regarded by many sports analysts, writers, and peers not only as one of his era's best players, but the greatest tight end to ever play the game
Early life
Gronkowski[3] was born in Amherst, New York, on May 14, 1989, and was later raised in Williamsville.[4] He is the second youngest son of Gordon Gronkowski and Diane Walters, and is of Polish descent.[5][6] His father is a former college football guard for Syracuse University who later founded a high-end fitness equipment business.[7] He is the great-grandson of Ignatius Gronkowski who represented the United States in cycling at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, and held five world records in the sport.[8] Gronkowski's parents divorced in 2008.[5] His four brothers – Gordie, Dan, Chris and Glenn – all played collegiate sports, and later played professionally.[9][10][11][12]
Gronkowski played hockey until he was 14; he then started playing basketball.[13] He attended Williamsville North High School for three years, playing tight end and defensive end (and freshman kickoff specialist, on account of having the biggest feet on the team), center in basketball, and first baseman in baseball for the Spartans athletic teams.[14] As a junior playing football, he recorded 36 receptions for 648 yards and seven touchdowns on offense, and 73 tackles and six sacks on defense. He was named an All-Western New York first-team and All-State second-team player.[15] Academically, Gronkowski was in the National Honor Society, citing math as his best subject, and English the worst.[16]
In 2006, Gronkowski moved to suburban Pittsburgh, where he attended Woodland Hills High School as a senior. Initially ruled ineligible by the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League because of his transfer,[17] he recorded eight receptions for 152 yards and four touchdowns at Woodland Hills after the ruling of ineligibility was overturned. He was named a SuperPrep All-American, PrepStar All-American, Associated Press Class 4-A all-state, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Fabulous 22", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first-team all-conference, The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) "Platinum 33", and a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "Terrific 25" player.[15] He was recruited by Kentucky, Arizona, Clemson, Louisville, Maryland, Ohio State, and Syracuse.[18] Gronkowski's football coach later recalled, "He was just a great kid. Honor roll, great SAT score. He could have gone anywhere he wanted to”.[19]
College career
After graduating high school, Gronkowski attended the University of Arizona as a Pre-Business major and played for the Arizona Wildcats football team from 2007 to 2009 under head coach Mike Stoops.[20][21] As a freshman in 2007, he recorded 28 receptions for 525 yards and six touchdowns.[22] His 18.8 yards per reception average was the best on the team and his receiving yards were a school record for a tight end. He was named The Sporting News freshman All-American, Rivals.com freshman All-American, The Sporting News freshman Pac-10, and All-Pac-10 honorable mention player.[15]
Gronkowski missed the first three games of the 2008 season, but later recorded 47 receptions for 672 yards and a team-best ten touchdowns.[23][24] Five of his touchdowns were scored in his first two games against UCLA and Washington.[25][26] He was twice named the John Mackey National Tight End of the Week, including his performance in a failed comeback bid against Oregon, when he caught 12 passes for 143 yards. He set the school records for a tight end for single-game, single-season, and career receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Gronkowski was named an Associated Press third-team All-American and All-Pac-10 first-team tight end.[15]
Prior to the 2009 season, Gronkowski was placed on the watchlist for the Lombardi Award, which is awarded to the most outstanding college football lineman or linebacker.[27] He missed his junior season in 2009 due to back surgery, which caused his draft stock to fall.
2016 season
Gronkowski missed the first two games of the 2016 season due to a hamstring injury and was limited in his next two games.[99] Against the Buffalo Bills in Week 8, Gronkowski scored the 69th regular-season touchdown of his career, which was also his 68th receiving touchdown. The touchdown broke both Patriots franchise records set by Stanley Morgan.[100] In Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks, he took a big hit to the chest by Earl Thomas which was initially thought to be a punctured lung but turned out to be a pulmonary contusion, keeping him out in Week 11.[101] In Week 12 against the New York Jets, he suffered a back injury at the beginning of the second half, which needed surgery to repair a herniated disk, and was out for the season.[102][103] He was officially placed on injured reserve on December 3, 2016, after having surgery the previous day.[104][105] He finished the season with 25 receptions on 38 targets for 540 yards and three touchdowns.[106] His 21.6 yards per reception ranked first among NFL tight ends in 2016.[107] Gronkowski was on injured reserve when the Patriots won Super Bowl LI on February 5, 2017. In the game, the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 34–28, earning Gronkowski his second Super Bowl championship.[108][109] Despite missing eight games, Gronkowski was still ranked 23rd by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[110]
2017 season
Gronkowski began the 2017 season healthy after missing much of the previous season on the injured reserve list. Gronkowski injured his groin during a Week 2 victory over the New Orleans Saints, leaving the game early, but the injury did not result in missing any further games. Before the injury, he had recorded six receptions for 116 yards and a 53-yard touchdown.[111][112] By the end of Week 4, he was occupying his familiar role as the team leader in receptions and receiving yardage, but a thigh contusion suffered in practice prior to the Thursday Night Football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5 caused him to miss that game entirely.[113] In Week 6, Gronkowski caught six passes for 83 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns as the Patriots defeated the New York Jets by a score of 24-17. His 33-yard catch put the Patriots in the lead as well as overcoming a 14-point deficit.[114] In Week 12, against the Miami Dolphins, Gronkowski caught five passes for 82 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[115] This was his 16th multiple touchdown game, which broke the franchise record previously held by Randy Moss.[116]
During Week 13 against the Buffalo Bills, Gronkowski had nine receptions for 147 receiving yards as the Patriots won 23–3.[117] However, after Bills rookie cornerback Tre'Davious White intercepted a pass intended for Gronkowski during the fourth quarter, Gronkowski responded by jumping elbow-first onto White, drawing a personal foul penalty and giving White a concussion. Gronkowski was upset, claiming that White should have been flagged for a pass interference penalty.[118] On December 4, the day after the game, Gronkowski was suspended for one game for his hit on White.[119] The next day, December 5, the NFL denied Gronkowski's appeal of the one-game suspension.[120] With Gronkowski suspended for the Patriots' Week 14 game against the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots lost 20–27.[121]
The following week, in a 27–24 win on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gronkowski caught nine passes for a career-high 168 yards. Gronkowski caught three consecutive passes for 69 yards on the Patriots' game-winning drive, and then caught the ensuing two-point conversion to put the Patriots up by 3.[122] He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season for the fourth time in his career, joining Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten as the only NFL tight ends with four 1,000-yard seasons.[123] His performance in Week 15 earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[124] On December 19, 2017, Gronkowski was named to his fifth Pro Bowl.[125] He finished the 2017 season with 69 receptions for 1,084 yards, most among tight ends, and eight touchdowns.[126][127] In January 2018, he was named to the Associated Press' All-Pro First Team,[128] earning him a $2.5 million incentive that was added to his contract during the 2017 offseason.[129][130] The Patriots finished with a 13–3 record and earned a first round bye.[131][132] In the Divisional Round against the Tennessee Titans, he finished with six receptions for receiving 81 yards and a receiving touchdown in the 35–14 victory.[133] On January 21, 2018, Gronkowski suffered a concussion on a 21-yard reception during the AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, being placed on concussion protocol, and did not return to the game.[134][135] He would be cleared from the protocol just in time for Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles. During the Super Bowl, he finished with 116 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In the closing seconds, he attempted to catch a Hail Mary pass, but failed, and the Patriots lost 33-41.[136][137] He was ranked 15th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of
Despite rumors of retirement on April 24, Gronkowski announced that he had met with head coach Bill Belichick and that he would return for the 2018 season.[140] He returned to practice on June 5 after skipping minicamp, confirming his return.[141] In the opening game against the Houston Texans, Gronkowski had seven receptions for 123 yards and one touchdown in a 27–20 victory. He also fumbled for the first time since 2012.[142] However, in his next six games, Gronkowski had some limited production, totaling 22 receptions for 325 yards with no touchdowns.[143] He scored his second touchdown of the season in the Week 12 victory over the New York Jets.[144] In Week 14, against the Miami Dolphins, he had eight receptions for 107 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 34–33 loss. In the loss, a last-second victory by the Dolphins, Gronkowski unsuccessfully was the last line of defense on the game-winning play.[145] This stemmed from Gronkowski often taking the field as a hybrid safety to defend against Hail Mary passes.[139][146] In the 2018 season, he finished with 47 receptions for 682 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[147]
The Patriots made the playoffs as the #2-seed in the AFC. In the Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Chargers, he had a 25-yard reception in the 41–28 victory.[148] In the AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had six receptions for 79 receiving yards in the 37–31 overtime victory. During Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams, Gronkowski finished with 87 receiving yards as the Patriots won 13–3.[149] In the process, he set the record for catches and yards for tight ends in the Super Bowl with 23 catches and 297 yards. Gronkowski's biggest moment came when, with the score tied at 3 in the fourth quarter, he had a 29-yard catch from Tom Brady which took the Patriots to the two-yard line and set up the game's only touchdown, with Sony Michel scoring on a two-yard rush to put the Patriots ahead.[150]
Retirement
On March 24, 2019, after nine seasons, Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL, at 29 years old, via Instagram.[151][152] He further elaborated on his decision five months later saying that the pain and injuries he has suffered throughout his career has taken a toll on his mental health,
"I was not in a good place. Football was bringing me down, and I didn't like it. I was losing that joy in life... I could play right now if I wanted to play. I’m feeling good. Physically, I could do it. Mentally-wise, desire-wise, it's not there... I am very satisfied with where I am in life right now. I truly believe going through those tough times, nine years, off the field, on the field, has brought me to this point. I believe I’m on the right path in my life."[153]
He has expressed a similar sentiment on the physicality and demands of the sport in January 2019, days before winning his third and last Super Bowl, saying,
"To tell you the truth, just try and imagine getting hit all the time and trying to be where you want to be every day in life. It’s tough, it’s difficult. To take hits to the thigh, to take hits to your head, abusing your body, isn’t what your brain wants. When your body is abused, it can bring down your mood. You've got to be able to deal with that, too, throughout the season. You gotta be able to deal with that in the games.
NFL records
Game/single-season records:
Only tight end to lead the league in receiving touchdowns (2011)[156]
Most touchdown receptions by a tight end, season: 17 (2011)[157]
Most total touchdowns by a tight end, season: 18 (2011)[158]
Youngest player with 3 touchdown receptions in a game: 21 years, 184 days (2010, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)[159]
Career records:
Most offensive touchdowns in first two seasons: 28 (tied with Randy Moss)
Most seasons with 10+ touchdowns by a tight end: 5 (2010–12, 2014–15)[160]
Most career average receiving yards per game among tight ends: 68.3[161]
Most career touchdowns per game average among tight ends: 0.69[161]
Most yards per target average among tight ends: 9.9 (since 1992)[161]
First tight end to have 3 seasons with 10+ touchdowns and 1,000+ receiving yards (2011, 2014–15)[162]
Consecutive seasons with 10+ touchdowns by a tight end: 3 (2010–12)
Most seasons of 1,000+ yards receiving by a tight end: 4 (tied with Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten)[163]
Post-season records:
Most receptions by a tight end in Super Bowl history: 23[164]
Most receiving yards by a tight end in Super Bowl history: 297[150]
Most career postseason receiving touchdowns by a tight end: 12[165]
First tight end with 1,000+ career postseason receiving yards[166]
Most career postseason receiving yards by a tight end: 1,163[167]
Youngest player with 3 touchdown receptions in a game, playoffs: 22 years, 275 days (2011 playoffs, vs. Denver Broncos)[168]
Records previously set but no longer held:
Most single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end: 1,327 (2011; broken in 2018 by George Kittle)[55]
Patriots franchise records
Most career touchdown receptions: 79
Most games with multiple touchdowns: 16
Most games with 100+ receiving yards by a tight end: 26
Highest receiving yards per game average for a tight end (season): 82.9 (2011)
Youngest Patriot with 3 touchdown receptions in a game: 21 years, 214 days (2010, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)
Youngest Patriot with 3 touchdown receptions in a playoff game: 22 years, 275 days (2011 playoffs, vs. Denver Broncos)
Gronkowski played college football at the University of Arizona, winning several awards, including being named a Sporting News and Rivals.com Freshman All-American. The Patriots drafted Gronkowski in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the 42nd pick, after missing his junior year due to back surgery.
Notable for being a skilled receiver and talented blocker, Gronkowski has set several NFL records, including being the only one of his position to ever lead the league in receiving touchdowns (17) in 2011. He also has the most career postseason receiving yards by a tight end (1,163) – the only tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 or more yards. He has the most career postseason receiving touchdowns for his position with 12, as well as the most combined receptions (23) and receiving yards (297) by a tight end in Super Bowl history. He is ranked first in average receiving yards per game (68.3), average yards per target (9.9), and average touchdowns per game (0.69) among tight ends.[1]
Gronkowski is one of the most popular football players of the 2010s, with a larger-than-life personality on and off the field. With his numerous accomplishments and accolades, he is regarded by many sports analysts, writers, and peers not only as one of his era's best players, but the greatest tight end to ever play the game
Early life
Gronkowski[3] was born in Amherst, New York, on May 14, 1989, and was later raised in Williamsville.[4] He is the second youngest son of Gordon Gronkowski and Diane Walters, and is of Polish descent.[5][6] His father is a former college football guard for Syracuse University who later founded a high-end fitness equipment business.[7] He is the great-grandson of Ignatius Gronkowski who represented the United States in cycling at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, and held five world records in the sport.[8] Gronkowski's parents divorced in 2008.[5] His four brothers – Gordie, Dan, Chris and Glenn – all played collegiate sports, and later played professionally.[9][10][11][12]
Gronkowski played hockey until he was 14; he then started playing basketball.[13] He attended Williamsville North High School for three years, playing tight end and defensive end (and freshman kickoff specialist, on account of having the biggest feet on the team), center in basketball, and first baseman in baseball for the Spartans athletic teams.[14] As a junior playing football, he recorded 36 receptions for 648 yards and seven touchdowns on offense, and 73 tackles and six sacks on defense. He was named an All-Western New York first-team and All-State second-team player.[15] Academically, Gronkowski was in the National Honor Society, citing math as his best subject, and English the worst.[16]
In 2006, Gronkowski moved to suburban Pittsburgh, where he attended Woodland Hills High School as a senior. Initially ruled ineligible by the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League because of his transfer,[17] he recorded eight receptions for 152 yards and four touchdowns at Woodland Hills after the ruling of ineligibility was overturned. He was named a SuperPrep All-American, PrepStar All-American, Associated Press Class 4-A all-state, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Fabulous 22", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first-team all-conference, The Patriot-News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) "Platinum 33", and a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "Terrific 25" player.[15] He was recruited by Kentucky, Arizona, Clemson, Louisville, Maryland, Ohio State, and Syracuse.[18] Gronkowski's football coach later recalled, "He was just a great kid. Honor roll, great SAT score. He could have gone anywhere he wanted to”.[19]
College career
After graduating high school, Gronkowski attended the University of Arizona as a Pre-Business major and played for the Arizona Wildcats football team from 2007 to 2009 under head coach Mike Stoops.[20][21] As a freshman in 2007, he recorded 28 receptions for 525 yards and six touchdowns.[22] His 18.8 yards per reception average was the best on the team and his receiving yards were a school record for a tight end. He was named The Sporting News freshman All-American, Rivals.com freshman All-American, The Sporting News freshman Pac-10, and All-Pac-10 honorable mention player.[15]
Gronkowski missed the first three games of the 2008 season, but later recorded 47 receptions for 672 yards and a team-best ten touchdowns.[23][24] Five of his touchdowns were scored in his first two games against UCLA and Washington.[25][26] He was twice named the John Mackey National Tight End of the Week, including his performance in a failed comeback bid against Oregon, when he caught 12 passes for 143 yards. He set the school records for a tight end for single-game, single-season, and career receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Gronkowski was named an Associated Press third-team All-American and All-Pac-10 first-team tight end.[15]
Prior to the 2009 season, Gronkowski was placed on the watchlist for the Lombardi Award, which is awarded to the most outstanding college football lineman or linebacker.[27] He missed his junior season in 2009 due to back surgery, which caused his draft stock to fall.
2016 season
Gronkowski missed the first two games of the 2016 season due to a hamstring injury and was limited in his next two games.[99] Against the Buffalo Bills in Week 8, Gronkowski scored the 69th regular-season touchdown of his career, which was also his 68th receiving touchdown. The touchdown broke both Patriots franchise records set by Stanley Morgan.[100] In Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks, he took a big hit to the chest by Earl Thomas which was initially thought to be a punctured lung but turned out to be a pulmonary contusion, keeping him out in Week 11.[101] In Week 12 against the New York Jets, he suffered a back injury at the beginning of the second half, which needed surgery to repair a herniated disk, and was out for the season.[102][103] He was officially placed on injured reserve on December 3, 2016, after having surgery the previous day.[104][105] He finished the season with 25 receptions on 38 targets for 540 yards and three touchdowns.[106] His 21.6 yards per reception ranked first among NFL tight ends in 2016.[107] Gronkowski was on injured reserve when the Patriots won Super Bowl LI on February 5, 2017. In the game, the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 34–28, earning Gronkowski his second Super Bowl championship.[108][109] Despite missing eight games, Gronkowski was still ranked 23rd by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[110]
2017 season
Gronkowski began the 2017 season healthy after missing much of the previous season on the injured reserve list. Gronkowski injured his groin during a Week 2 victory over the New Orleans Saints, leaving the game early, but the injury did not result in missing any further games. Before the injury, he had recorded six receptions for 116 yards and a 53-yard touchdown.[111][112] By the end of Week 4, he was occupying his familiar role as the team leader in receptions and receiving yardage, but a thigh contusion suffered in practice prior to the Thursday Night Football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5 caused him to miss that game entirely.[113] In Week 6, Gronkowski caught six passes for 83 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns as the Patriots defeated the New York Jets by a score of 24-17. His 33-yard catch put the Patriots in the lead as well as overcoming a 14-point deficit.[114] In Week 12, against the Miami Dolphins, Gronkowski caught five passes for 82 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[115] This was his 16th multiple touchdown game, which broke the franchise record previously held by Randy Moss.[116]
During Week 13 against the Buffalo Bills, Gronkowski had nine receptions for 147 receiving yards as the Patriots won 23–3.[117] However, after Bills rookie cornerback Tre'Davious White intercepted a pass intended for Gronkowski during the fourth quarter, Gronkowski responded by jumping elbow-first onto White, drawing a personal foul penalty and giving White a concussion. Gronkowski was upset, claiming that White should have been flagged for a pass interference penalty.[118] On December 4, the day after the game, Gronkowski was suspended for one game for his hit on White.[119] The next day, December 5, the NFL denied Gronkowski's appeal of the one-game suspension.[120] With Gronkowski suspended for the Patriots' Week 14 game against the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots lost 20–27.[121]
The following week, in a 27–24 win on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gronkowski caught nine passes for a career-high 168 yards. Gronkowski caught three consecutive passes for 69 yards on the Patriots' game-winning drive, and then caught the ensuing two-point conversion to put the Patriots up by 3.[122] He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season for the fourth time in his career, joining Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten as the only NFL tight ends with four 1,000-yard seasons.[123] His performance in Week 15 earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[124] On December 19, 2017, Gronkowski was named to his fifth Pro Bowl.[125] He finished the 2017 season with 69 receptions for 1,084 yards, most among tight ends, and eight touchdowns.[126][127] In January 2018, he was named to the Associated Press' All-Pro First Team,[128] earning him a $2.5 million incentive that was added to his contract during the 2017 offseason.[129][130] The Patriots finished with a 13–3 record and earned a first round bye.[131][132] In the Divisional Round against the Tennessee Titans, he finished with six receptions for receiving 81 yards and a receiving touchdown in the 35–14 victory.[133] On January 21, 2018, Gronkowski suffered a concussion on a 21-yard reception during the AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, being placed on concussion protocol, and did not return to the game.[134][135] He would be cleared from the protocol just in time for Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles. During the Super Bowl, he finished with 116 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In the closing seconds, he attempted to catch a Hail Mary pass, but failed, and the Patriots lost 33-41.[136][137] He was ranked 15th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of
Despite rumors of retirement on April 24, Gronkowski announced that he had met with head coach Bill Belichick and that he would return for the 2018 season.[140] He returned to practice on June 5 after skipping minicamp, confirming his return.[141] In the opening game against the Houston Texans, Gronkowski had seven receptions for 123 yards and one touchdown in a 27–20 victory. He also fumbled for the first time since 2012.[142] However, in his next six games, Gronkowski had some limited production, totaling 22 receptions for 325 yards with no touchdowns.[143] He scored his second touchdown of the season in the Week 12 victory over the New York Jets.[144] In Week 14, against the Miami Dolphins, he had eight receptions for 107 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 34–33 loss. In the loss, a last-second victory by the Dolphins, Gronkowski unsuccessfully was the last line of defense on the game-winning play.[145] This stemmed from Gronkowski often taking the field as a hybrid safety to defend against Hail Mary passes.[139][146] In the 2018 season, he finished with 47 receptions for 682 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[147]
The Patriots made the playoffs as the #2-seed in the AFC. In the Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Chargers, he had a 25-yard reception in the 41–28 victory.[148] In the AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had six receptions for 79 receiving yards in the 37–31 overtime victory. During Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams, Gronkowski finished with 87 receiving yards as the Patriots won 13–3.[149] In the process, he set the record for catches and yards for tight ends in the Super Bowl with 23 catches and 297 yards. Gronkowski's biggest moment came when, with the score tied at 3 in the fourth quarter, he had a 29-yard catch from Tom Brady which took the Patriots to the two-yard line and set up the game's only touchdown, with Sony Michel scoring on a two-yard rush to put the Patriots ahead.[150]
Retirement
On March 24, 2019, after nine seasons, Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL, at 29 years old, via Instagram.[151][152] He further elaborated on his decision five months later saying that the pain and injuries he has suffered throughout his career has taken a toll on his mental health,
"I was not in a good place. Football was bringing me down, and I didn't like it. I was losing that joy in life... I could play right now if I wanted to play. I’m feeling good. Physically, I could do it. Mentally-wise, desire-wise, it's not there... I am very satisfied with where I am in life right now. I truly believe going through those tough times, nine years, off the field, on the field, has brought me to this point. I believe I’m on the right path in my life."[153]
He has expressed a similar sentiment on the physicality and demands of the sport in January 2019, days before winning his third and last Super Bowl, saying,
"To tell you the truth, just try and imagine getting hit all the time and trying to be where you want to be every day in life. It’s tough, it’s difficult. To take hits to the thigh, to take hits to your head, abusing your body, isn’t what your brain wants. When your body is abused, it can bring down your mood. You've got to be able to deal with that, too, throughout the season. You gotta be able to deal with that in the games.
NFL records
Game/single-season records:
Only tight end to lead the league in receiving touchdowns (2011)[156]
Most touchdown receptions by a tight end, season: 17 (2011)[157]
Most total touchdowns by a tight end, season: 18 (2011)[158]
Youngest player with 3 touchdown receptions in a game: 21 years, 184 days (2010, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)[159]
Career records:
Most offensive touchdowns in first two seasons: 28 (tied with Randy Moss)
Most seasons with 10+ touchdowns by a tight end: 5 (2010–12, 2014–15)[160]
Most career average receiving yards per game among tight ends: 68.3[161]
Most career touchdowns per game average among tight ends: 0.69[161]
Most yards per target average among tight ends: 9.9 (since 1992)[161]
First tight end to have 3 seasons with 10+ touchdowns and 1,000+ receiving yards (2011, 2014–15)[162]
Consecutive seasons with 10+ touchdowns by a tight end: 3 (2010–12)
Most seasons of 1,000+ yards receiving by a tight end: 4 (tied with Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten)[163]
Post-season records:
Most receptions by a tight end in Super Bowl history: 23[164]
Most receiving yards by a tight end in Super Bowl history: 297[150]
Most career postseason receiving touchdowns by a tight end: 12[165]
First tight end with 1,000+ career postseason receiving yards[166]
Most career postseason receiving yards by a tight end: 1,163[167]
Youngest player with 3 touchdown receptions in a game, playoffs: 22 years, 275 days (2011 playoffs, vs. Denver Broncos)[168]
Records previously set but no longer held:
Most single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end: 1,327 (2011; broken in 2018 by George Kittle)[55]
Patriots franchise records
Most career touchdown receptions: 79
Most games with multiple touchdowns: 16
Most games with 100+ receiving yards by a tight end: 26
Highest receiving yards per game average for a tight end (season): 82.9 (2011)
Youngest Patriot with 3 touchdown receptions in a game: 21 years, 214 days (2010, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)
Youngest Patriot with 3 touchdown receptions in a playoff game: 22 years, 275 days (2011 playoffs, vs. Denver Broncos)
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