Rob Gronkowski to sign one-day contract to retire a Patriot - ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Rob Gronkowski plans to sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the New England Patriots on Wednesday so he can «retire as a Patriot for life,» fulfilling the wish of a close friend who died of cancer earlier this month.

Gronkowski, who played for the Patriots from 2010-2018 and was part of three Super Bowl championship teams before finishing his career and winning another Super Bowl title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020-2021, made the announcement Sunday as part of his work as a Fox Sports analyst.

The greatest tight end in <a href=«https://twitter.com/NFL?ref_src=» https:>@NFL

history is retiring a Patriot!

Watch <a href=«https://twitter.com/RobGronkowski?ref_src=» https:>@RobGronkowski sign his one-day contract this Wednesday at 12:15 PM LIVE on Patriots digital & social. pic.twitter.com/fXOwNHDtFq

The ceremonial contract was suggested by local philanthropist Susan Hurley, with whom Gronkowski developed a close friendship through his extensive charity work in New England. In August, when Gronkowski unveiled a new playground in Boston to which he donated $1.8 million, he said it was inspired by Hurley. On that day, Hurley asked, «Can we just make it official and sign him for a day so he can retire as a Patriot?»

Owner Robert Kraft — who had already planned to do so when Gronkowski was eligible for induction into the team Hall of Fame next year — endorsed the idea of expediting it and Gronkowski said: «I like that a lot, and the reason that we're really going to do that is because of Susan Hurley.»

Hurley lost a courageous battle with ovarian cancer on Nov. 1. She was 62.

Gronkowski still calls Foxborough, Massachusetts, where the Patriots play their home games, his home.

A member of the NFL's