Rob Gronkowski caused quite a stir when he announced his second retirement from the NFL earlier this offseason. He’s also generated a hefty amount of speculation about whether or not he will return to football one day, despite doing his best to distance himself from the sport.
Although he said just last week that he doesn’t plan on coming back to the NFL, Gronkowski’s girlfriend, Camille Kostek, isn’t entirely convinced that fans have seen the last of the five-time Pro Bowler.
Speaking exclusively with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit prior to the runway show at W South Beach in Miami on Saturday night, Kostek said that she felt like Gronkowski’s latest retirement wasn’t a permanent one. She likened the decision to one made by the tight end’s long term quarterback, Tom Brady, who unretired shortly after announcing his own retirement earlier this offseason.
“I am an honest lady, and honestly, in my heart, I didn’t feel like this one is a forever one. So, I think maybe he’ll come back again,” Kostek said during Miami Swim Week. “I feel like him and Tom are just having fun like, ‘Retired, not retired, retired, not retired.’”
Kostek’s comments certainly seem to leave the door open for Gronkowski’s return to the NFL, but just last week the four-time Super Bowl champion was rather definitive in his status for next season. When asked if he would return to football if Brady came calling in 2022, the 33-year-old said that he would pick up the phone, but not return to the field.
“I’m done with football. Love the game. Love the game. And definitely blessed with all the opportunities the game of football has given me,“ Gronkowski said at an event in Boston on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “But done with football and stepping my feet into the business world and the business ventures. Just seeing what’s out there and where I can, you know, find my place.”
Although Gronkowski seems rather confident in his decision, Kostek isn’t the first person to point out that the tight end’s retirement might not be permanent. Gronkowski’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told The MMQB‘s Albert Breer that he wouldn’t be surprised if the five-time Pro Bowler came back during the middle of the 2022 season.
Whatever the case may be for his future, Gronkowski’s legacy as one of the greatest tight ends of all-time is secure. After winning four Super Bowls, making four All-Pro teams and racking up the third-most career receiving touchdowns (92) among tight ends, Gronkowski has nothing left to prove if he has indeed hung up his jersey and cleats for good.
