Rob Gronkowski spoke to Rich Eisen about retiring, potential return
Rob Gronkowski called into The Rich Eisen Show to discuss his retirement, life post-football, future plans, and continual rumors of a return to the NFL.
The day before the Fourth of July, one of the sporting world’s greatest All-Americans dialed in for an exclusive phone interview on The Rich Eisen Show.
Ex-Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski participated in a lengthy conversation with host Rich Eisen that covered all variety of topics. They discussed the recent viral photo taken at Julian Edelman’s “100%” sports documentary premiere, in which Gronk looked noticeably slimmer than we’ve seen him in years.
The retired big man laughed off the photo and all those worrying he now weighs around 200 lbs or less, stating definitively that he’s down to 250 lbs… which is still 15 lbs lighter than his playing weight most of his career.
He was also asked repeatedly by Eisen about how retired life was treating him. Gronkowski surprised many inside and outside of the Patriots organization by announcing his retirement from the NFL after just nine seasons this past March.
“I’ve been relaxing, traveling, seeing the family… just enjoying myself,” Gronkowski told Eisen. “I’ve never had an August off in my life, so it’s going to be a little different. That’s when (I’m) going to start really seeing the change, when that comes around, in August when I’m not in training camp. I might not know what to do with myself in August.”
Eisen then prodded Gronkowski on the topic most New Englanders want to hear him talk about these days: is there any possibility that he might return one day to the team, especially if quarterback (and good buddy) Tom Brady comes calling?
For his part, Gronk downplayed the possibility of returning Week 1 in uniform.
“If I’m going to be (there), it’ll be me there to celebrate the Super Bowl last year, and putting up the banner… and just being there with the team.”
In other words, we’re more likely to see Gronkowski up in a suite at Gillette Stadium – and maybe down on the field before the game if there’s a celebratory ceremony – rather than on the sidelines with a helmet and pads on.
Arguably the most entertaining and titillating part of the entire interview came when Eisen asked Gronkowski to role-play a theoretical future conversation between Brady and Gronkowski, with Eisen portraying Brady and Gronk playing himself of course. Eisen sets up the scenario as being the beginning of November, well into the 2019 season, before he “calls” up Gronkowski on the phone.
Eisen then moves in for the kill. As Brady, he asks Gronkowski if he’ll consider returning to play with him and the rest of the Patriots. Gronk at first deflects the question, joking that he’s relaxing down in the Bahamas drinking quasi-nutritious alcoholic drinks. Eisen pushes him a bit further, and then Gronk finally gives in with this promising nugget of a line:
“Call me when you get to the playoffs.”
Next. Isaiah Wynn on track to return for training camp. dark
It might not be much – and he was laughing when he said it – but it’s still enough to keep Pats fans crossing their fingers and hoping for a potential return down the road.
You can check out the full interview below, courtesy of AT&T AUDIENCE Network. “The Rich Eisen Show” airs daily at 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET on AT&T AUDIENCE Network, which can be found on DIRECTV Ch. 239.