Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski Announces Retirement At 29 On Instagram, NFL Reacts

Rob Gronkowski has retired from the NFL.

The 29-year-old New England Patriots tight end capped off a career with four All-Pro honors and three championship rings on Sunday. In an Instagram post, one of the NFL’s biggest personalities acknowledged why he was leaving football behind.

Pats Star ‘Gronk’ Leaving NFL after nine seasons

While still a dominant playmaker, the tight end had clearly lost a step. He no longer required double teams from a defense but was able to make up for it with excellent run blocking.

“In the nine years that I have known Rob Gronkowski, I have never known him to have a bad day,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. “He always has a youthful exuberance about him and is a joy to be around.”

In the last game of his career, Gronkowski’s last catch was a deep ball thrown into triple coverage that he pulled down to put the Pats within scoring range. Moments later, they’d push the ball into the end-zone and he’d walk away with a third Super Bowl ring.

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Here are some of the best reactions around the world of sports to Gronk’s retirement: