Report: Gronkowski ponders retirement
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski surprised many when he would not commit to returning for the 2018 season in the moments after the Super Bowl.
Gronkowski said he needed some time to reflect on the season and talk with people closest to him and that he wasn’t ready to answer what it would take for him to return.
“Weeks before the AFC Championship game, Gronkowski was telling people around him the toll on his body was making him lean toward the potential that this was his last season,” ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported on SportsCenter last week, according to Boston.com. “This is a very serious thing for Gronkowski at this point. He will certainly continue to contemplate retirement.
“It’s not a done deal by any means, but this is not something that is simply an emotional approach to the loss of the Super Bowl, nor is it an emotional response to the concussion. This is something Gronkowski has been considering long before both of those instances in the 2017 season.”
Gronkowski, who turns 29 in May, is still near the top of his game but has battled several significant injuries throughout his career, including to his back, left forearm and right knee. He most recently dealt with a concussion suffered in the AFC Championship game. Darlington cited a source who said Gronkowski “truly believes the toll on his body is making him question his NFL future.’’
Darlington denied the retirement talk was a ploy to get more money. Gronkowski was the fourth highest-paid Patriots player last season, but was the league’s highest-paid tight end. However, he is scheduled to make $8.9 million next season, based on a contract structured to help the team. His deal runs through 2020.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who missed all of last season recovering from shoulder surgery, says he is looking forward to the aggressive offensive style of new coach Frank Reich.
Reich, the former Bills quarterback who served as offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles, was formally introduced by the Colts on Tuesday and said he wants his offense to be a “multiple, attack, up-tempo offense” that is “aggressive.”
“That sounds great,” Luck told Colts.com. “I know all the best offenses that I’ve been a part of in my career, we’ve not been static and we’ve attacked. And I’m sure he’ll have a great flavor and we’ll involve as many people as we can, and attacking defenses is what it’s all about.”
Reich, a former backup quarterback with the Buffalo Bills, has previously worked with quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and Carson Wentz, among others.
“Going back to his playing days, he’s incredibly successful, and he’s been around some awesome quarterbacks,” Luck said of Reich. “And I hope I can learn from him and ask him how Peyton or Carson or Philip did it, and find the best way for me or for whatever Colt quarterback way that is. I hope I can give him the most that I can give, and that he can help me get out of me the most that’s there.
“You can learn something from everybody, and certainly our history shapes so much of how we think and (our) thought process, and I’m really excited to hear his thought process and how he did it as a player and how he’s seen other players do it, and how he’s done it as a coach. I think that could have a very positive impact on our team.’’
Reich, who was offensive coordinator for the Eagles for the past two seasons, began his pro coaching career in Indianapolis as an offensive coaching staff assistant with the Colts in 2008 and quarterbacks coach in 2009-10.
Luck had surgery to repair a torn labrum in January 2017 with the intention of being ready for Week 1 of this past season, but he didn’t return to practice until October. Soon after, Luck began feeling soreness in the shoulder — attributed to biceps tendonitis — and was placed on injured reserve so he could pursue a full recovery. Luck’s shoulder problems date back to Week 3 of the 2015 season.
The Colts signed Luck to a six-year, $140 million contract in June 2016.