Rob Gronkowski teases signing a one-day contract to retire as a Patriot

"So we’ll make it happen, and it’ll be a really, really cool moment."

Rob Gronkowski plans to retire as a member of the Patriots. John Nacion/Getty Images for Fanatics

August 21, 2025

2 minutes to read

Just a few weeks after Tom Brady was immortalized at Gillette Stadium with a statue, another Patriots legend might be readying himself for an awaited send-off in Foxborough.

Speaking to reporters at the unveiling of the “Gronk Playground” on the Esplanade this week, former New England tight end Rob Gronkowski said that he has plans to sign a one-day contract so that he can officially retire as a member of the Patriots.

“Come back for a day, a weekend, whatever it is. So we’ll make it happen, and it’ll be a really, really cool moment,” Gronkowski told reporters. “It’s going to happen. We just don’t know when.”

Gronkowski credited Susan Hurley — the founder and president of CharityTeams who helped secure the funding for the “Gronk Playground” — as the catalyst for securing that one-day contract.

According to Gronkowski, it was Hurley who approached Patriots owner Robert Kraft about the idea of Gronkowski officially retiring as a player in New England, where he spent the first nine seasons of his career and won three Super Bowl titles.

“I like that a lot,” Gronkowski said. The reason why we’re really going to do that is because of Susan Hurley. She wants to see that happen. She’s been dreaming about that happening for a while. [Kraft] gave her a thumbs up. So we’re gonna make it happen in the future, and it’s gonna be a special moment.”

Even though Gronkowski closed out his career with two seasons in Tampa Bay — where he won another Super Bowl title alongside Brady — he continues to hold close ties to New England.

Speaking at the unveiling of the Gronk Playground, Gronkowski became emotional when discussing what the Patriots and this market has meant to him.

https://twitter.com/RobGronkowski/status/1958264059691671734

“Excuse me, you still have me moved,” Gronkowski told the crowd while fighting back some tears.

“I thought of the idea to give back to the Boston area for all the love and support the [region] of New England fans have shown me throughout my career,” Gronkowski added. “It was since day one. Even if I was acting like an idiot, they loved it. You guys loved it,” he said. “So thank you so much. It helped me perform, tremendously.”