The New England Patriots are going to look very different in 2019 after it was announced that Rob Gronkowski was officially hanging up his cleats for good and retiring from the game he loves.
Following his announcement, he took to Instagram and posted an emotional message to Patriots fans and everybody that helped him along the way to get him to this point:
The former 2nd-round pick of the Patriots in 2010 was in the 6th-year of his 8-year, $55.23 million contract that included $13M guaranteed.
The 29-year-old tight end also discussed leaving the game for good after the 2017 season, mostly because there were discussions from within the organization about possibly trading him to the Detroit Lions.
Gronkowski caught just 47 passes and three touchdowns during the 2018 season. His 52.5 yards per game in 2018 was by far his lowest since his rookie year in 2010.
For his career, he caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns.
