The NFL’s best tight end steps away from the game.

"WhitePatriots News Opinion and Analysis Contribute! FanPostsFanShotsAbout the Site List of Patriots Twitter AccountsWrite For Pats Pulpit!New User Welcome and Commenting GuideCommunity GuidelinesMastheadTopics Patriots Off-Season CoveragePatriots Opinion/AnalysisPatriots NewsPatriots Draft CoverageSportfolio ManagementPatriots NewsBREAKING NEWS: Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announces his retirementNew Womens N'Keal Harry Jersey ,212commentsRead more: What Rob Gronkowski’s retirement means for the PatriotsEDTShareTweetShareShareBREAKING NEWS: Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announces his retirementJohn David Mercer-USA TODAY SportsNew England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was the most dominant player at his position ever since joining the NFL as a second-round draft pick in 2010. Today, the 29-year old officially ended his career as he announced via a post on Instagram. “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,” he wrote.“I will be retiring from the game of football today,” continued Gronkowski, who finished his career as the NFL’s most dominant ever tight end — a player who sure will wear a golden jacket as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day. After all, the now ex-Patriot finished his career with outstanding statistics: in nine regular seasons, Gronkowski caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns.On top of that N'Keal Harry Jersey Patriots , the five-time Pro Bowler and 2014 NFL comeback player of the year helped New England win three Super Bowls — among them what now turns out to be the final game of his career: the Patriots’ 13-3 win in Super Bowl 53 over the Los Angeles Rams, a game that saw Gronkowski play a crucial rule in another championship campaign. He also retires as the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdown catches.“I am so grateful for the opportunity that Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick gave to me when drafting my silliness in 2010,” Gronkowski wrote in his statement. “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,” he continued. “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.”Gronkowski concluded by calling it and honor to play in New England. “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 Youth N'Keal Harry Jersey ,” he wrote. “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.”The full Instagram post looks as follows:The State of the Patriots: Accountability Check The Patriots don’t look very good right now. And unsurprisingly, folks everywhere seem to have plenty to say about it.The problem with these September takes is that, correct or incorrect, they get buried under the next four months of football and by the time December and January rolls around, the NFL is such a completely different place that nobody has the time or energy to go back and see what people thought as the season was kicking off. In that respect, anybody can more or less say anything they want Color Rush N'Keal Harry Jersey , overlook the times they were completely wrong, and only focus on the times when they got it right.Which is the point of this article. My hope is for everyone who has a strong opinion on the state of the 2018 Patriots, one way or another, to express that opinion in the comments below. Tell us why the 2018 team is NOTHING like the 2003, 2004, 2018, and 2016 teams that all took a few beatdowns on the way to Super Bowl glory. Tell us why we have absolutely nothing to worry about. Lament the end of the dynasty. Acknowledge the small bump in the road. We all have an opinion on the way things are going and what the future holds, and we haven’t been shy expressing those opinions on other articles and forums, so I’d like to see if I can get them all here and revisit them at season’s end. Obviously New England Patriots Jersey 2019 , nobody knows what the next 13 weeks holds, and at the end of the day getting called out for being wrong (or praised for being right) isn’t going to move the needle at all in the grand scheme of things. I just thought it might be a good exercise, for those of you who tend to live very much in the moment, to see how much can change - or not change - between now and the end of the season.Just to reiterate:by commenting on this article, you hereby give your permission to have that comment posted in an article I will put up at the end of the season in which I see who was right and who was wrong. If you were correct, you’ll be acknowledged for it. If you were way off, be willing to face the music.Opposing fans welcome as well - just be ready for the potential consequences of accountability.