Rob Gronkowski gives depressing take on playing for Patriots originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
They say “winning cures everything,” but that wasn’t exactly the case during Rob Gronkowski’s time with the New England Patriots.
Gronkowski spent nine seasons playing for Bill Belichick. While that resulted in three Super Bowl titles, it wasn’t always an enjoyable experience for the future Hall-of-Fame tight end. Even during those successful seasons.
On FanDuel’s “Up & Adams” show with Kay Adams, Gronk spoke candidly about the depressing days in Foxboro.
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“A regular-season game with the Patriots actually, throughout my 20s, if we won a game, the next day it felt like we still lost a game,” Gronkowski told Adams. “And if we lost a game, it felt like you were in super depression for like two days… or like for the whole week.
“So that’s what made you really want to win the games when you were with the Patriots: Because you didn’t want to ever feel that depression feeling for the two days after the game. You’re like, ‘We have to win the game. We have to win the game so we have a good week, so we feel good tomorrow.’”
Those comments are noteworthy coming from Gronkowski, but they aren’t necessarily surprising to those familiar with Belichick and the “Patriot Way.”
Gronk briefly retired after the 2018 season and joined his longtime quarterback Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. The 33-year-old won his fourth Super Bowl title that season and played one more with the Bucs before retiring a second time following the 2021 campaign.
It’s unclear whether Gronkowski would consider coming out of retirement a second time. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported last month that a return in 2023 is “on the table,” as is another reunion with Brady. If that does happen, it’s safe to assume it won’t be in New England.