Former NFL TE Rob Gronkowski spikes rumors of football comeback: 'Crazy bro'
Rob Gronkowski is not returning to the NFL.
The four-time Super Bowl champion tight end spiked rumors of a football comeback that emerged at the NFL combine on Tuesday. Fox Sports reported Wednesday that Gronkowski had no interest in making a return.
"Crazy bro," the tight end said, according to Fox Sports. "They must know something about me that I don't ... I was just in Australia for a few days. Now it's time to relax a little. No football."
Gronkowski played in the NFL for 11 years: nine seasons with the Patriots before an initial retirement before the 2019 season, then two more with the Buccaneers after returning from that retirement one year later. The four-time All-Pro won a fourth Super Bowl with quarterback Tom Brady in the 2020 season, then retired for a second time in 2022.
STAR QB-TIGHT END DUOS: The Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski vs. Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce debate
In retirement, Gronkowski has started his media career as an NFL analyst for Fox Sports and is featured on their "Fox NFL Sunday" and "Fox NFL Kickoff" programs.
Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan initially reported the possibility of a Gronkowski comeback.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rob Gronkowski's return to the NFL isn't happening, the former TE says
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bengals player goes on ESPN, talks Hendrickson and Stewart
Despite the hype of the national drama around the Cincinnati Bengals for the contract holdouts of Trey Hendrickson and first-rounder Shemar Stewart, other players have not sounded all that concerned about the situations. Bengals offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. is the latest to provide such an example. He recently appeared on ESPN and fielded a question about the contract holdouts and how they might impact the team and those infamous slow starts from the last few years. Advertisement RELATED: Bengals, Shemar Stewart nuclear option includes 2026 NFL draft route In short, Brown revealed that Bengals players have been in plenty of contact with both Hendrickson and Stewart. He stressed and echoed the comments of Joe Burrow and others who point out that there is a business side to the sport that they all understand. As Bengals fans know by now, Hendrickson wants a long-term deal and is threatening to hold out into the summer, at least. Stewart doesn't want to be the first to get new team language in contracts about the voidance of guarantees, at least reportedly. The vibe from Brown, though, is similar to other players asked lately: these situations aren't as big as the outside world makes them out to be…yet. RELATED: Bengals standouts after mandatory minicamp includes surprises This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals player goes on ESPN, talks Hendrickson and Stewart
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Why Fanatics Fest's ‘Museum of Greatness' almost didn't include Tom Brady's Super Bowl jerseys
NEW YORK — Walk to the end of the 'Museum of Greatness,' a one-of-a-kind exhibit at Fanatics Fest in the Javits Center and you'll see the centerpiece of a collection full of centerpieces: seven of Tom Brady's game-worn Super Bowl jerseys, including his Super Bowl LI jersey, which was stolen after the game and eventually recovered by the FBI. Advertisement A few hours before the show opened, though, the jerseys were nowhere to be found. 'Brady lost his Super Bowl jerseys!' Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin said excitedly Friday morning before making an appearance on ESPN's First Take from the massive three-day celebration of sports fandom. Rubin said Brady had forgotten where the jerseys were, which is actually understandable since Brady had just helped open the Hall of Excellence museum in Las Vegas on Wednesday that now houses all of his Super Bowl rings. Realizing the importance of the jerseys to the museum, Rubin sent a plane down to Miami to retrieve them from Brady's safe. The exhibit wouldn't be complete without the jerseys, in Rubin's eyes. So there was no price too high to make the swift jersey rescue to bring them to the museum that is temporarily housing an estimated $250 million worth of sports trading cards and memorabilia. 'It's the biggest exhibition of trading cards and memorabilia that's ever been brought together,' Rubin said. 'We don't want to be a big company. We want to be a beloved company that makes people love Fanatics. … So we had to have those jerseys to complete the fan experience.' The temporary museum's 10,500 square-foot showcase features trading cards and memorabilia from other all-time sports greats like LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Lionel Messi, Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Lewis Hamilton, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle as well as up and coming stars like Caitlin Clark, Paul Skenes and Elly De La Cruz. Several of these items have never been displayed publicly, with some coming from the players' personal collections, as well as from 30 individual collectors. Among the athletes who contributed their personal items to the museum include Brady, Kevin Durant and Logan Paul, who added his famed 1998 Pokemon Pikachu Illustrator Holo PSA 10 card he wore around his neck for his Wrestlemania 38 ring entrance. Advertisement 'I think we have something for everyone, which is what I think Fanatics is all about,' said Mike Connolly, the company's vice president of collector relations. 'So no matter where you are in your collecting journey or where you are as a fan, the fact that you can come here and see items you've either recognized or heard about or that you can see for the first time, is a very special experience.' There's a heavy security element for the display. A security guard stands by every case and alarms ring if anyone, even authorized museum curators, enter the display case. The items will be under 24-hour surveillance by more than 25 armed security guards, 360-degree cameras, undercover and uniformed police and canine units for the duration of Fanatics Fest. Even with the security, though, collectors and fans are able to get up close to items that may have previously seemed mythical. Some of the other more notable items include: Fanatics Collect CEO Mike Mahan, who oversees trading cards giant Topps, walked around the display before the Fest opened in his Washington Nationals' James Wood jersey almost with his jaw dropped given the amount of 'grail' cards and pieces of memorabilia around him. 'As a professional, I'm blown away by what this is and how it came together so quickly,' Mahan said. 'And with this only in its second year and the way that it's put together, it's truly special. And then there's the kid collector in me who sees all of these things, not only in one place but presented in a way that's frankly befitting of how important and special they are, it's awesome! 'It's really a vision to elevate collectibles in a way that was worthy of the moment. I think this is a manifestation of that. When you're a kid and you open a pack, you hope to have that card come in there someday. That's cool.' The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Matt Leinart was "so embarrassed" as his career ended after five days with the Bills
Matt Leinart was a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at USC and a Top 10 NFL draft pick, but his pro career didn't amount to much. And he says the way his career ended was particularly tough for him. Leinart played for the Cardinals from 2006 to 2009, the Texans in 2010 and 2011, and the Raiders in 2012. Then the Bills signed him in the 2013 preseason, put him on the field for one bad game, and cut him after five days. He said recently on his Throwbacks podcast that final preseason game in Buffalo was particularly difficult to live with. 'My last game in Buffalo, preseason Game 4, I threw three interceptions in the first half,' Leinart said. 'I stood on that sideline like someone passed away in my family. I kept my helmet on so no one could see my face. I was embarrassed. I didn't cry, I was so embarrassed that that was going to be my last time ever on a football field. I just knew it.' Leinart said that in only five days in Buffalo, he came to admire the passionate Bills fan base and felt badly that he couldn't give them anything to cheer for. 'The sad part is they were so fired up that I was there, they were like, 'Yeah! Revive your career here!' I was like, 'Guys, they need an arm,'' Leinart said. 'I saw firsthand Buffalo, Bills Mafia, how awesome their fans were. They treated me great for the first couple days. That's why I was like, 'I love Buffalo.''
