NFL Rumors: New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski Now Expected to Return for the 2018 Season
One of the most interesting storylines to emerge in the wake of "Super Bowl LII" revolved around New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and the possibility that he could retire.
This was not some rumor that appeared out of thin air as well.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Gronkowski said he would take the next couple of weeks off and reflect on the season that had just concluded. He also mentioned that he would "definitely" look at his future, as can be seen and heard in a video posted by NFL.com.
Further fueling the speculation that Gronkowski may be set to call it a career were some recent tweets.
In one tweet, Gronkowski talked about things like the future and destiny, and there were fans who speculated that the 28-year-old was hinting at retirement. In another tweet, Gronkowski mentioned his friend and current WWE wrestler Mojo Rawley, which led to speculations that he might be planning to trade in his football cleats for wrestling boots.
Things have changed recently, however, and it now appears that Patriots fans can breathe easy.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, after taking some time off to think about things and consider other ventures, the expectation now is that Gronkowski will be back with the Patriots for next season.
The Patriots, being the perennial contenders they are, likely would have found a way to still contend even without Gronkowski, but it certainly would have been a greater challenge. Now that he is expected to be back, the team can approach the offseason knowing that they still have arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history to rely on.
Retirement rumors will most likely swirl around Gronkowski again next offseason, but that is a thing to worry about on a different day for the fans and the members of the Patriots organization.
More news about the latest NFL rumors should be made available soon.