Nearly six years after his final game in a New England uniform, Rob Gronkowski will sign a ceremonial one-day contract this week to retire as a Patriot.
The ceremony is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday at Gillette Stadium, according to the team.
“I am signing a one-day contract with the Patriots this week coming up,” Gronkowski, now an NFL analyst for FOX Sports, announced Sunday on the network’s pregame show,
“to retire as a Patriot and be a Patriot for life.”
During his nine seasons in New England, Gronkowski established himself as one of the franchise’s all-time greats and one of the top tight ends in NFL history. A five-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro, he won three Super Bowls and hauled in 79 receiving touchdowns during his Patriots tenure.
Gronkowski was a member of the Patriots’ All-2010s Team and All-Dynasty Team — as well as the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade and 100th Anniversary Teams — and will be a shoo-in for the Patriots Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible.
In Gronkowski’s final game as a Patriot, he caught six passes for 76 yards in Super Bowl LIII, including a 29-yarder that set up New England’s lone touchdown in its 13-3 victory over the Rams. He sat out the 2019 season before returning to play two more years — and win one more Super Bowl — with quarterback Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.
The 36-year-old has remained connected to the Boston area since his departure. The “Gronk Playground,” which Gronkowski donated $1.8 million to help fund, opened this summer on the Charles River Esplanade. At the playground unveiling, Gronkowski became emotional while reflecting on “all of the love and support that the city and New England fans have shown me throughout my career.”
“Another guy, a couple of weeks ago, got a statue,” Gov. Maura Healey told reporters at the August ceremony, referring to the bronze Brady bust that sits outside Gillette Stadium. “I think it’s pretty cool that Gronk’s got a playground. That sounds right.”
The idea for Gronkowski’s one-day contract was inspired by local philanthropist Susan Hurley, according to a report from ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Hurley, whose CharityTeams nonprofit partnered with Gronkowski to build the playground, died earlier this month of Stage 4 ovarian cancer at age 62.
