Rob Gronkowski’s shade is nothing but love for New England Patriots

So, former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is retired for good…so he says.

While Gronk’s latest retirement appears to close the door on another return, as long as he’s still young enough and Tom Brady is still playing in the league, there’s a possibility.  Who are we really kidding?

But a main reason why some may doubt Gronkowski has walked away from the game for good is that he didn’t really mention the Patriots in an Instagram post in which he announced his retirement.  The post was focused on his brief tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which he won a Super Bowl in 2021.

Did Rob Gronkowski slight New England Patriots in retirement post on purpose?

Kind of sounds like Tom Brady’s fake retirement earlier in the offseason.  So, obviously, there is cause to pause.  But here’s what the retirement statement read:

"“I want to thank the whole entire first-class Buccaneers organization for an amazing ride, trusting me to come back to play and help build a championship team,” Gronk wrote on the Instagram post, via Boston.com.  “I will now be going back into my retirement home, walking away from football again with my head held high knowing I gave it everything I had, good or bad, every time I stepped out on the field.”"

While Gronkowski was referencing his latest chapter in the NFL, Patriots fans have every right to feel slighted.  First class organization?  No shade to the Buccaneers, but was that a shot thrown at the team where he won 3 Super Bowls and played his most dominant years?

Like Brady, there is always a calculated shot at Bill Belichick with statements like this.  But there is also some love and respect hidden in the shade.  Both Brady and Gronkowski wanted to keep their legacies in New England separate.  No matter the love-hate relationship with Belichick, they cherish their time with the Patriots.  Perhaps a lot of their shade comes from the fact they couldn’t end their careers in Foxborough.

So once again, Patriots fans may be blowing this one out of proportion as Gronkowski explained it was no big deal that he didn’t mention the organization that drafted him in his retirement social media speech.

"“I think it’s a little blown out of proportion,” Gronkowski told NESN.  “I mean, I kind of did it when, you know, my first retirement. …“There’s no doubt I love New England.  I love all the fans here in New England.  There’s no doubt.  But I felt like that speech or whatever, the time and place I did for the first one was great, and I was just kind of giving it for that retirement for the two years I had in Tampa.  But I think it was blown out of proportion maybe a little.  But I love New England, love everything about it.”"

We can take out of that what and who he didn’t mention, but that would be blowing it out of proportion.

In any event, Rob Gronkowski will go down as the greatest tight end New England Patriots fans have ever seen.  They, we, us just don’t want to feel like we’ve been forgotten.