Rob Gronkowski announces retirement from NFL

Rob Gronkowski on Tuesday announced that he is retiring from the NFL.

>> Read more trending news

“I will now be going back into my retirement home, walking away from football again with my head held high knowing I gave it everything I had, good or bad, every time I stepped out on the field,” he wrote in a post on Instagram.

The tight end previously retired from the NFL in 2019 after playing nine seasons with the New England Patriots. He came out of retirement to play for the Buccaneers in 2020 and 2021, according to Bleacher Report.

On Tuesday, Gronkowski, 33, said that he had once written for a report in college that he wanted to play professional football in Tampa.

“The journey in Tampa over the last 2 years has blown away what I originally wrote about in college, big time,” he wrote, thanking the Buccaneers, his teammates and fans.

In a statement, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht called Gronkowski “a true professional who left it all on the field for us the past two seasons and helped establish a championship culture in our building.”

“He played a crucial part in our Super Bowl LV championship season in 2020 and battled through a number of injuries last year while on the way to one of the most productive receiving yardage seasons in his 11-year career,” Licht said.

“It is always difficult to see a great player walk away from the game when he is still enjoying that kind of success, but the overwhelming emotions I feel today are gratitude and respect for one of the greatest tight ends who ever played the game.”

Gronkowski won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 20

Through the years FOXBOROUGH, MA - CIRCA 2010: In this handout image provided by the NFL, Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots poses for his 2010 NFL headshot circa 2010 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by NFL via Getty Images) (Handout/Getty Images)

©2022 Cox Media Group