Rob Gronkowski Mulls An NFL Comeback, & Fans Think It’s A Bad Idea

Rob Gronkowski is currently going through what most high school athletes felt their sophomore year of college.

You’re a few years removed from actually playing your sport, be it football, baseball, or basketball. You’ve jumped in a few pick up games at the rec, dominated that co-ed flag-football game on the quad, and of course you’ve been hitting the weight room hard and are physically as strong as you’ve ever been. You look at yourself in the mirror after crushing a few beers with the boys and some ideas start popping up in that little brain of yours.

“I was pretty good in high school, remember those plays I made? That was before I was this strong, my knee heeled up nicely, and I feel really good… Maybe I can make a comeback…”

Most people wind up getting laughed out of the room by their friends if they happen to actually say this out loud, but on occasion those people actually show up for an open workout or try out and are smacked in the face with reality.

You’re not as good as you once were and the game has passed you by.

An NFL Comeback?

News broke this afternoon that Rob Gronkowski, universally recognized as one of the greatest tight ends of all-time, is considering trying to return to the league this upcoming season. This comes after he spent a few years as an analyst for Fox Sports on Fox NFL Sunday and FOX NFL Kickoff, first in 2019 during his initial retirement and since 2022 following his second.

He last played in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he put up a solid, but modest compared to his standard, stat line of 55 receptions for 802 yards and 6 touchdowns in what was also Tom Brady’s last season.

Cecil Lammey, a writer for denversports.com, first broke the news, adding that the Denver Broncos are apparently frontrunners to sign him, citing his relationship with Sean Payton and the fact that two of his brothers played in the Mile High city.

League sources tell me 4X Super Bowl champion TE Rob Gronkowski is considering a return to the NFL.

He worked with Sean Payton at Fox & I'm told he loves Denver & QB Bo Nix. (2 of his brothers, Dan and Chris, had short stints with the team).

More in my report @DenSports1043

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) February 25, 2025

Like I said up top, I really think this is a bad idea. For starters, Gronk is now 35 years old, no spring chicken especially for as physically demanding a position as tight end, and he’s already had to battle through an immense amount of injuries throughout his career.

Think he wanted to wear that ridiculous arm brace?

Rob Gronkowski is 35 years old, has suffered 21 injuries that took him out of almost 70 games. In his 2015 autobiography, It’s Good to Be Gronk, Gronk describes his back injuries:

“the simplest of things that I took for granted, like being able to go to the bathroom or brush… pic.twitter.com/WLcaU77qj1

— GORGO (@GORGO4547) February 25, 2025

Plus, he hasn’t been at NFL speed in nearing 4 years, do we really think he’d just snap back to form? If anyone can do it it would be the physical freak that is Rob Gronkowski, but let’s be serious, father time is undefeated.

Finally, it’s no secret Gronk is quite the part animal. He’s owned many party houses throughout the years, including his first one in South Tampa that he purchased for $1.6 million back in 2012 and his most infamous one in Foxborough, Massachusetts that Sports Illustrated called “bigger than a McMansion, smaller than an actual mansion”. That property actually had another house on the same property (some saying that one is only for ragers) and featured what he called the “Sinner’s Bus”, which was always available to drive guests home who may have done a bit to much consumption for one evening.

Do we really think that Gronk and all his untold millions slowed down the party lifestyle in the first handful of years that he didn’t have to report to Bill Belichick or Tom Brady at camp in June? Highly unlikely and if there’s one thing I know, since I’m feeling it myself, is that years of partying will age you quickly.

Gronk looks exactly how you'd expect Gronk to look walking out of the club after partying all night in LA pic.twitter.com/B3awhHbRDC

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) February 4, 2015

Fan Reactions To Gronk’s Potential Comeback

To say there’s been a buzz created by this announcement would be an understatement.

Fans of the Broncos, Patriots, and Buccaneers all have their hopes up (for the most part) that Gronk can return to his old form and push their squad over the edge so he could take home his 5th Lombardi.

But many, many, (did I say many?) others are as unsold on this idea as me:

Gronk’s first practice back https://t.co/BT9ctEMBi3 pic.twitter.com/SZjsRzmceA

— Dave Myrick (@Danny_Bigmac13) February 25, 2025

2025 Gronk pic.twitter.com/U501bPfvLa

— Jocko1719 | Jaylen Brown MVP (@jocko1719) February 25, 2025

Kelce vs. Gronk in 2025 pic.twitter.com/rZAJYqmWJw

— Andrew Cooper (@CoopAFiasco) February 25, 2025

Gronk in 2025 https://t.co/JR0rOikUny pic.twitter.com/VF73ztnAzL

— Chandler (LEADER) (@_chandler_____) February 25, 2025

Gronk in 2025 pic.twitter.com/aHfuX4S4qT

— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 (@the_det_times) February 25, 2025

Rob Gronkowski hasn't played a football game in 1,129 days.

I love Gronk but wtf are we doing

— Mile High Mario (@VetanzeTherapy) February 25, 2025

Gronk coming back from retirement: pic.twitter.com/VspRiws7Kx

— Adam (@RMEChief) February 25, 2025

Gronk in 2025 https://t.co/eDmSfMvnqY pic.twitter.com/gw5tGFMGUi

— Stretch Armstrong (@stretchfchw) February 25, 2025

Notably, neither Gronk or his agent have made a statement on this yet, and it’s probably all a big nothing burger or way for Gronk to squeeze a couple more dollars out of his next Fox Sports contract, but hey, crazier things have happened…

Gronk em 2025 https://t.co/z9mEUjsPBV pic.twitter.com/sa0np3mvhm

— Dr. Terriermonˢᶜᶜᵖ (@SCCPepee) February 25, 2025