Gronk Retires. Footballs Rejoice.

Much to the reduction of defensive coordinators, finish zones and footballs — and to the dismay of occasion boats, keg suppliers and content material aggregators — Rob Gronkowski introduced Tuesday that he was (once more) retiring from the N.F.L. This time, he means it.

Gronkowski revealed his plans on Instagram, the place he typically shares merry tidbits of his merry life, such because the Gronk Beach extravaganza in Las Vegas and clips selling the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, which he co-hosted in April. Of course he did.

Across his 11 N.F.L. seasons, Gronkowski, 33, a really severe soccer participant with a really unserious character, leavened the stodgy league with kind of a playful destructiveness. His joie de vivre spawned numerous memes, maybe none extra endearing than his “Yo soy fiesta!” exclamation — butchered Spanish that interprets to “I am party!” — after a playoff sport in 2012.

His onomatopoeic surname begot the right nickname for a 6-foot-6, 265-pound tight finish, as Gronk joined the lexicon as a noun, verb and, generally, even an adjective. Were he prosaically named, say, Herman Weissman, Gronkowski would possibly by no means have emerged as fairly the phenomenon that he did. Instead, he oozed gronkness, celebrating touchdowns by gronking Gronk spikes. He gronked loads: 92 within the common season, greater than some other participant since he debuted in 2010, in line with Pro Football Reference, and 15 extra within the postseason.

Blessed with monumental palms — from thumb to pinkie, they measure 10¾ inches, practically so long as a soccer — Gronkowski leveled pass-rushers, stampeded safeties, and grabbed passes over cornerbacks, as marvelous a blocker as a receiver. Redefining his place, he was named an All-Pro 4 instances and was chosen to 5 Pro Bowls.

He received 4 Super Bowls. Three got here with New England, the place his physique finally betrayed him and hindered him from most gronking. He tore a knee ligament, broke his forearm, damage his again.

All that discomfort prompted him to retire, the primary time, after the 2018 season, earlier than he turned 30. He spent the interregnum — as anticipated — at wrestling occasions, promoting cannabidiol products as ache relievers and dealing on his charitable basis. But, coaxed again by his previous pal and former Patriots teammate Tom Brady (and Florida’s forgiving local weather), Gronkowski joined the Buccaneers in 2020, catching two touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl victory in opposition to Kansas City that season.

“While his on-field accomplishments will surely earn him a gold jacket and a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht stated in a press release, “it is his humble attitude and team-first approach to the game that truly defined his career.”

Gronkowski will nearly definitely be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, in 5 years, when he’s first eligible, presuming he certainly stays retired this time. It isn’t tough to think about his shearing off the sleeves of the Hall’s signature gold jacket to flaunt his bulging muscle groups. Maybe he’ll put on it over a naked chest, an homage to his shirtless cavorting throughout all these Super Bowl championship parades. That can be the gronkest factor ever.