Rob Gronkowski is a four-time Super Bowl Champion with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He went hard for 11 years, putting up stats worthy of five Pro Bowl selections and four All-Pro nods, and was celebrated for his unmatched energy and relentless work ethic on the field.
But in 2022, Gronkowski retired (again) and traded his jersey, helmet, and cleats for lights, camera, and action. Retired NFL athletes in the media keep an insane schedule during the season. Like others who’ve taken the same path, Gronkowski juggles a whirlwind of media gigs, TV appearances, and podcasting commitments.
In the Feb. 22 episode of the “Dudes On Dudes” podcast — cohosted with former Patriots teammate Julian Edelman — Gronkowski offered an unfiltered look at his daily grind.
Patriots, Buccaneers Super Bowl Champion Rob Gronkowski Pits Media Schedule Against NFL Grind
Gronkowski gave fans an inside look at his demanding schedule, revealing that the grind he faces off the field rivals what he experienced during his football career.
“I might as well go back to football because I’m grinding harder than I ever grinded before, and I’m not even playing football,” Gronkowski said on “Dude on Dudes.”
The relentless pace is so intense for him that a return to the NFL would be less taxing. “I might as well go back because playing ball would be easier than what I’ve been doing over the last six months.”
But he’s not complaining. Gronkowski seems to genuinely treasure all he’s experienced during the first few years of his media career. “I appreciate all the people in my life. I appreciate all my jobs,” he said. “I’m definitely thankful for every job that I had throughout the season. I would just say the travel was really tough that’s where the grind is.”
Now, post-Super Bowl hustle, Gronkowski, 35, has returned to a less hectic routine. “I’m just chilling right now, getting back into a routine, getting all my workouts [in], but overall, I’m very thankful for the last six months.
“Football season was amazing. It was entertaining, all the jobs that I had were entertaining from going on the Kay Adams show [Up & Adams] to doing the Fox pregame kickoff show, going on your show before my show on the fox kickoff show. Just going on all the shows was amazing.”
Gronkowski Weighs In on Chiefs’ Travis Kelce’s Retirement Stance
The choice of whether to retire is a difficult decision for athletes. They’ve poured their blood, sweat, and tears into their career for years. It’s their identity.
Gronkowski retired twice, so he knows all about it. He offered his perspective on a recent episode of “Up & Adams.”
“I mean [Traivs Kelce, Patrick Mahomes] together are an unstoppable duo. It’s a different situation from Tom [Brady] and me because Tom was 10 years older than me and I was a young buck. That’s usually the situation when it comes to a wide receiver/quarterback duo. This one’s different because Travis is so much older than Patrick Mahomes, about six or seven years, and they have this chemistry that’s unbelievable.”
“I believe he can go at least another two years,” Gronkowski added. “We’re talking his stats being down. How are your stats down if you have 80-plus catches at 35 years old?”
Rob Gronkowski weighs in on Travis Kelce's future in the NFL.
"I believe he can go at least another 2 years. We're talking his stats being down. How are your stats down if you have 80 plus catches at 35 years old?” pic.twitter.com/1TbEeN3r06
— Brad Henson Productions (@BradHensonPro) February 18, 2025
As of Feb. 23, Kelce remains undecided about his NFL future and is taking a wait-and-see approach to retirement.
Adam Schefter, NFL insider for ESPN, believes Kelce will return.
“As of today, my understanding is he is leaning towards coming back to play again,” Schefter said on Feb. 17. “[The Super Bowl loss is] not how he wants to end his NFL career.”