Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski Announces Retirement

After arguably the greatest career ever at his position, Rob Gronkowski has announced his retirement.

Gronk announced the news via his Instagram account.

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It all started at 20 years old on stage at the NFL draft when my dream came true, and now here I am about to turn 30 in a few months with a decision I feel is the biggest of my life so far. I will be retiring from the game of football today. I am so grateful for the opportunity that Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick gave to me when drafting my silliness in 2010. My life experiences over the last 9 years have been amazing both on and off the field. The people I have meet, the relationships I have built, the championships I have been apart of, I just want to thank the whole New England Patriots organization for every opportunity I have been giving and learning the great values of life that I can apply to mine. Thank you to all of Pats Nation around the world for the incredible support since I have been apart of this 1st class organization. Thank you for everyone accepting who I am and the dedication I have put into my work to be the best player I could be. But now its time to move forward and move forward with a big smile knowing that the New England Patriots Organization, Pats Nation, and all my fans will be truly a big part of my heart for rest of my life. It was truly an incredible honor to play for such a great established organization and able to come in to continue and contribute to keep building success. To all my current and past teammates, thank you for making each team every year special to be apart of. I will truly miss you guys. Cheers to all who have been part of this journey, cheers to the past for the incredible memories, and a HUGE cheers to the uncertain of whats next.

A post shared by Rob Gronkowski (@gronk) on

The Patriots tight end hangs it up after just nine seasons in the NFL. Though much of his career was plagued with injuries, the 29-year-old put up numbers never seen before, catching over 500 balls for 79 touchdowns, all while being one of the best blocking tight ends to ever do it.

Gronk was originally taken by the Pats in the 2010 NFL Draft after the Arizona product set a school record for single-game, season and career records for receptions, yards and touchdowns by a tight end.

During his career in the NFL, Gronk went to five pro Bowl and notched four First Team All-Pro nominations en route to three Super Bowl titles.