Gronk Picks Between Travis Kelce and George Kittle, Addresses Retirement (His and Tom Brady's), Talks Aaron Rodgers Disagreement; Oh And He Acts Now
Retirement is being kind to Rob Gronkowski and anyone thinking he's headed back to the NFL next season will probably be disappointed because he's really enjoying his life right now.
"Yes I am, man, it's going really well," Gronkowski told OutKick this week. "I love staying busy. I love doing activities. Pickleball is a new type of activity/sport that I've picked up. It's a lot of fun. Keeps me in shape. It keeps me going. Keeps my motivated.
"And I'm also doing the FOX stuff, the analyst stuff with FOX has been a wonderful pleasure as well."
On this day Gronkowski is being chauffeured around New York City as part of a media tour for Bounty Paper Towels. He's the product's new spokesman and is wearing a green suit with white shirt because, he says, it makes him look like the Bounty packaging.
"I'm looking fresh, I'm looking dapper in it," Gronkowski says. "I can tell you this: It's clean."
Rob Gronkowski on the loose.
Rob Gronkowski Embraces Life Away From Field
You've been seeing a lot of Gronkowski since he retired from the NFL. You've probably seen him more than when he played for the New England Patriots or Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He's a pitchman for insurance. For Bounty. He's on FOX Sports as an analyst. He's going to be in an upcoming movie.
And, free of the Patriots Way that sometimes stifled individualism, he's got thoughts on all those things that he shared with OutKick.
This weekend Gronkowski will be back on FOX as part of the pregame show for the 49ers versus Eagles broadcast. He'll also be keeping abreast of the Bengals versus Chiefs matchup.
And, as a former tight end, he'll be keeping a close eye on San Francisco tight end George Kittle and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
So let's put Gronk on the spot. If he was starting an NFL team, which of these two would he pick as his starter?
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 20: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter in the game against the Los Angles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on November 20, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Gronk Picks 'Best Tight End In The Game'
"Man, that's a crazy question but I'm just going to have to go with Travis Kelce," Gronkowski says. "The guy is just on top of his game. Seven 1,000-yard seasons over the last seven seasons. Unheard of.
"He has the most yardage out of anyone -- receivers, tight ends -- over the last five or six years in the whole NFL. He just shows up in the clutch moments that the Kansas City Chiefs need him. He's just a great player overall and definitely the best tight end in the game. You can't argue with that."
There's no arguing Gronkowski was in that conversation during his playing days and at 33 there's a question why he stepped away. But the more pertinent question is whether he'll be coming back in 2023?
"As of right now, man, or even any thoughts going forward," he says, "just don't see it happening going back out on the field."
Gronkowski Address His And Tom Brady's Return
Gronkowski does have great interest whether former teammate Tom Brady will return to the field in 2023. And he intends to find out.
"I'm kind of wondering what he's going to do," Gronkowski says. "But after the interview I saw the other day, where he told the guy Jim Gray, who he does a podcast with every week, that's a partner, and he's telling him basically shut the eff up and stop asking that question, that threw me off a little bit.
"So I'm going to give him some time. I'm going to give him another week or two, when it settles down a little bit. I want to know what's going on but I'll leave him be right now. It's early after the season. But I'm kind interested.
"I wonder if he's going to tell me, I'm not sure thought. I think he will."
Gronkowski and Brady obviously have a special relationship after playing together 11 years. And next month they're reunited in a movie called 80 for Brady, starring Sally Field, Rita Moreno, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
In one of the scenes from that movie, the women get into the Patriots' locker room at the Super Bowl. And it gets, well, I don't know.
Fonda apparently flirts with Gronk.
"Just my scene with Jane Fonda, it's just legendary," Gronkowski says. "She breaks into the locker room at the Super Bowl -- her, Sally and the other ladies. And they come and find the players. And Jane finds myself and starts flirting with me.
"It's going to be a classic movie. It's going be a lot fun watching it."
So was the on-screen flirting carried over when the cameras were off?
"Jane and I we hit it off a little bit," Gronkowski says. "Definitely, I think she was just acting the whole time because that's what she does. She's a wonderful actress. But Tom and Sally Field, they were hitting it off in the locker room like I've never seen before. They're going to be great couple one day, I can tell you that."
Yeah, of course, he's kidding. I hope.
Anyway, Gronkowski made some news during his FOX gig last Sunday when he called out Packers four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers had previously spoken about how he believes he's capable of winning another MVP award.
And Gronk thought Rodgers should be talking about whether he's capable of winning another Super Bowl. Rodgers responded, saying anyone not thinking about MFP is "either lying or non-competitive."
Gronkowski still doesn't agree.
Gronk responds to Aaron Rodgers' comments. (Credit: Getty Images and Screenshot/Twitter Video https://twitter.com/UpAndAdamsShow/status/1615754506079457282)
Gronkowski and Aaron Rodgers Disagree
"You know, I think Aaron Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time," he says. "He has probably the quickest release I've ever seen and just the way he can read a defense and exploit a secondary and linebackers is just unbelievable.
"But, like I said, I just always think from the culture I came up with with the Patriots and just being around Tom and other teammates like Julian , and like Amendola and the McCourtys and all those great guys, we're always thinking in the long term and everything it takes to get to a Super Bowl. It takes a whole team to do it.
"And if MVP and individual awards come along with it, that's great. But just our main focus from my culture I was brought up in with the Patriots -- it's the best way to go about it, too -- and it's about the big picture and winning it all."
Gronkowski will be an interested observer focusing on which team wins it all this season. And, not surprisingly, he talks about watching that and other games in good product spokesman fashion.
"Being from Buffalo, I know a thing or two about what you absolutely have to have on game day and its wings, football and Bounty and you really shouldn't have one without the other," he says. "You can't have football without wings. And you can't have wings without Bounty. It's the strongest paper towel in the game, let's go, baby!"
Yes, Rob Gronkowski has the retirement thing down pat.