Rob Gronkowski may not have not have been quite as dominant of a presence in 2018 as he was in seasons before that, but rival coaches are still relieved that they no longer have to game-plan against him.
Gronkowski was an absolute nightmare for the Pittsburgh Steelers over the years, so no one is happier to see him leave than Mike Tomlin. Shortly after Gronk made his retirement announcement on Sunday, Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston had an entertaining exchange with Tomlin when he asked the coach if he wanted to come on the air to discuss the big news.
“Is he retiring?” Tomlin asked.
Curran informed him that the announcement had just been made official by the star tight end himself.
“Awesome!” Tomlin exclaimed.
The Steelers held Gronkowski in check in their only meeting with the Patriots last year, as he managed just 21 yards on two catches. That was the Gronk that had clearly lost a step, however. During New England’s win over the Steelers in 2017, he caught nine passes for 168 yards and a two-point conversion. He caught eight touchdown passes in seven career games against the Steelers and was held under 72 yards receiving just that one time, as noted by Matt Dolloff of 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Unfortunately for Tomlin, there appears to be at least a small chance Gronkowski’s retirement won’t be permanent.
