Rob Gronkowski Nearly Retired Over Proposed Trade To Lions

DETROIT, MI — Remember all that talk about Rob Gronkowski retiring or at the least not being a New England Patriot this season? Turns out the speculation wasn't without cause.

Following the team's loss to the Detroit Lions Sunday night, Gronkowski confirmed an Adam Schefter report that he would have retired if he was traded to another team.

"Yeah, it happened and Brady is my quarterback, that's all. I wasn't going anywhere without Brady," Gronkowski said.

Per the report, the Patriots were working towards a potential deal that would have sent Gronkowski to the Lions, with talks increasing around the NFL Draft. Gronkowski, in turn, told the Patriots that he wouldn't report to any team he was traded to.

At that point, talks of a trade ended and the Patriots and Gronkowski worked towards a restructured contract which includes $4.3 million in incentives for the 2018 season.

Fans were forced to imagine football at Gillette Stadium without Gronkowski starting on Super Bowl Sunday when Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk speculated that the tight end could retire after the game. What followed during the off-season were various reports about the player retiring, being traded, or even possibly joining the WWE.

For Brady's sake, it's a good thing Gronkowski wants to play with no one else. Three games into the season, the tight end is one of the few dependable targets for the quarterback, but with defensing throwing a double team on Brady's top target, Sunday night was a struggle, with Gronkowski catching four receptions for 51 yards.

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