After Super Bowl loss, Rob Gronkowski surprisingly evasive when asked about his future

MINNEAPOLIS — After Sunday’s Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, Rob Gronkowski was surprisingly noncommittal about what might lay ahead, with the big tight end only saying he would “definitely look at my future.”



Gronkowski had nine catches on a team-high 15 targets for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 41-33 loss to the Eagles Sunday night. But when he was asked about a pregame report that had him contemplating retirement, he didn't offer much in the way of clarification.

“I’m going to sit down in the next couple of weeks and see where I’m at,” said Gronkowski.

“I’m not ready for these questions right now,” he added. “I mean, I’m just going sit down, reflect on the season (and) keep talking to my teammates. We fought all year long. All the receivers, running backs, linemen, we put all the work in together. I’m just going to reflect on the season … and just see what happens.”

Gronkowski has struggled with injury over the course of his eight-year career and has had issues with his back, knees and arm. In addition, he sustained a head injury in the AFC title game against the Jaguars, a hit that left him in the NFL’s concussion protocol until a few days prior to Super Bowl LII.

Regardless of those issues, he was transcendent at times on Sunday against Philly, catching a pair of touchdown passes and doing his part to lift a passing game that appeared to stall at times after losing wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Gronkowski had just one catch for nine yards in the first half, but broke through in the third quarter, hitting his peak on the Patriots first scoring drive when he accounted for 68 of the 75 yards on the sequence, including the touchdown on a 5-yard pass play from quarterback Tom Brady.

“I just think he made some plays and found some spots I’m the defense where he could get the ball,” said offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. “He and Tommy made those plays. You know what I mean? The line protected well and Gronk went up and kale a bunch of big plays there to get us going out of the third quarter and made some in the fourth quarter, He’s a great player, and he really got us moving there in the second half.”

“Cooks is a gear player that definitely makes great plays, and he would have been great to have,” said Gronkowski. “But we just had to keep spreading the ball around to the running backs, wide receivers (and) tight ends. I felt like we did a good job of that, moving the ball.

“But we just didn’t capitalize on every opportunity.”

“He did a great job,” Brady said of Gronkowski. “He played a great game. He made some big plays when we needed it.”

“Tom’s a legend,” Gronkowski said of Brady, who set a new Super Bowl mark with 505 passing yards in the game. “Fighting all day long, throwing 500 yards, every touchdown. We keep on fighting until the end, and we did. We went to all 60 minutes, but it wasn’t enough.”

In the end, Gronkowski saluted his teammates, despite coming up eight points short in the quest for another Super Bowl title.

“I’m proud of this team,” Gronkowski said. “I’m proud of the boys. We kept fighting all year long and grinded all year long. It’s not just one game. It’s six-month process to even get here. We’ve got to keep our heads high and keep our chins up because we grinded all year, we fought all year and we gave it everything we had. Just proud of the boys on the team.”