Rob Gronkowski reveals how Patriots could have prevented his retirement

After the Patriots won a hard-fought battle against the LA Rams in Super Bowl LIII, there was a bittersweet feeling in the air, knowing that some of the team's most legendary players were nearing the end of their careers.

The focus was primarily on Tom Brady, who was 41 years old and defied the odds of a quarterback's career. However, little did anyone know that Rob Gronkowski had been contemplating retirement and ultimately decided to hang up his cleats that offseason.

It was a shocking move for the tight end, who had shown no signs of nearing that decision prior to the announcement. It was a big blow to the Patriots offense, as Gronkowski had been a favorite target for Brady since he was drafted in 2010. But it was more of a gut punch when he decided to come out of retirement in 2020 to join Brady in Tampa.

Questions began circulating regarding Gronkowski's initial decision to retire and sit out the following NFL season. Why would the top tight end in the league, playing alongside the greatest quarterback of all time and winning Super Bowls, want to retire at just 29 years old?

Some of that became clearer when he revealed the injuries he sustained in the final Championship game with the Patriots and some of his issues with Bill Belichick. This seemed to begin a domino effect of players retiring or leaving the team, many of whom, including Brady, cited the longtime head coach as a reason for their departures.

But Gronkowski is now revealing how the Patriots could have prevented his initial retirement, and it wouldn't have taken much to keep him around.

Rob Gronkowski reveals how Patriots could have prevented his retirement

During his latest appearance on Julian Edelman's podcast "Games With Names," Gronkowski spoke about the 2011 AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos. But before discussing the details of that game, he shouted out his former head coach for his set at Tom Brady's roast last month.

That's when he revealed that if Belichick had shown that much personality when he was on the Patriots, he would still be playing in New England and winning more Super Bowls.

"Coach Belichick may be my new favorite person since the roast. If he showed that personality at all while he was a head coach, I still think we would be playing with the Patriots and winning Super Bowls."

It might have just been meant as a funny comment, given his environment, or it was a bit of the truth from Gronkowski. But no matter what the truth is, it was a hit on the feelings of fans who wished he had never left the team in the first place.

He had become a favorite for New England fans for more than just his incredible performances every week. His larger-than-life personality and goofy nature resonated with those watching the games, and it made him stand out amongst his teammates since Belichick tried to set a more serious tone in the locker room.

That made it heartbreaking when he decided to leave the team at a critical point in Brady's career, as he was hoping to win another one with the team he spent his entire career with. It makes you question how different things could have been had he never left, especially if there was more to how Belichick could have kept him around instead of retiring.

More Patriots content: