"Would love to watch him play" - Rob Gronkowski's girlfriend shares her take on NFL star's retirement rumors
With his best bud Tom Brady recently deciding to hang up the cleats, Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski is now faced with a similar decision.
Gronk, who was talked into returning to the game after initially retiring a few years ago, is now reportedly mulling whether to return to the team or retire like his friend Tom Brady.
Camille Kostek, Gronkowski's girlfriend, has now voiced her opinion on the topic. Kostek said that she would love to see the tight end continue to play.
"I would love to watch him play football some more," said Kostek, who's been dating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end for years. "He knows that. I tell him."
Kostek also believes that no one will know what her boyfriend will do up until the last minute.
"He retired when he wasn't feeling right," Kostek said. "And he came back when he felt good. So, it's really going to be, truly, like a gametime decision."
Will Rob Gronkowski decide to follow Tom Brady's footsteps and retire?
The four-time Super Bowl winning tight end essentially has nothing left to prove in the league.
He is a four-time All-Pro, a five-time Pro Bowler and has several NFL records, including but not limited to the most receiving touchdowns in a season by a tight end (17), most 100-yard games in NFL history by a tight end (32), and the most career touchdowns in the postseason by a tight end (15).
If Gronk does decide to leave the game, he would leave with 621 receptions for 9,286 receiving yards and 92 receiving touchdowns.
When Tom Brady retired, the Buccaneers tight end left a special message for his friend and former teammate of 11 seasons.
If Gronkowski decides to return to the team, the Bucs will once again have several potent offensive weapons for whoever is playing the quarterback position.
The team may opt to start backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert or Kyle Trask, the latter of which was drafted by the Buccaneers in last year's NFL Draft out of the University of Florida.
However, most pundits believe that the team will pursue one of several free agent quarterbacks that may enter the market, including Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson and even their former first-round pick Jameis Winston.
Regardless of who the signal-caller is when the season begins, the team will be much better off with the veteran presence of Rob Gronkowski at tight end.