Rob Gronkowski made no secret that his initial retirement was due in large part to the toll that football took on him, and he admitted that his conditioning work will need to be different during his second stint in the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Gronkowski said Wednesday he knows that, with age, he needs to change some things, but feels he knows himself better than he did when he was younger. He also added that he intends to play the same way he did with the New England Patriots, despite the physical toll that can take.
Gronk says "things need to change now" in regards to his conditioning. Time to get football ready and admits there are challenges because of the pandemic.
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) April 22, 2020
found it interested that Gronk says he wants to play like he did before, that he wants to go down the seam and be the player he was before. can his body handle it? unknown. it'll be 17 or 18 months between football for him (assuming no OTAs and a normal training camp…I hope).
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) April 22, 2020
Gronk says he still has an indent from where he got the quad contusion in his last game, the Super Bowl win over the Rams. Says he's not a young buck running around anymore. He knows better how to take care of himself and he's looking to seeing how he holds up. @nflnetwork
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) April 22, 2020
These comments are a reminder that it’s no guarantee we see the Gronk of old in Tampa Bay. In 2018, his final season with the Patriots, he was a shell of himself, and his 52.5 yards per game was his lowest tally since his rookie year.
Gronkowski made clear that he was “not in a good place” when he stepped away following the 2018 season. He seems to be doing much better now, but it’s been quite a while since he tested his body at the highest level.
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