Could Sunday have been Rob Gronkowski's last game at Gillette Stadium?
In the wake of NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport's report that Gronk plans to weigh retirement again after the season, and that some close to him believe he'll walk away, the New England Patriots tight end insisted he wasn't soaking in the home surroundings during Sunday's blowout victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
"I was focused on L.A. the whole game, and it's going to be the same thing this week," said Gronkowski when asked if he thought about the possibility it could be his final home game. "I'm all-in right now. We've got the Kansas City Chiefs now. It's going to be another week of preparation, and I haven't thought about anything like that, so just got to go all-in, keep our focus and keep on doing what we've got to do, and I've got to keep on doing what I've got to do to help this team out to win next week."
As most of the 2018 season has gone, Gronk had a statistically down game in Sunday's victory over L.A., catching just one pass for 25 yards. His presence, however, did far more than show up on the box score. The Chargers' focus on slowing down Gronkowski helped others get wide open, including Julian Edelman several times. Gronk's blocking acumen also aided Sony Michel's huge day in a big way as the TE helped open monster holes.
Heading into Championship Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, Gronk insists he'll take his future one game at a time.
"My thoughts about right now -- that I'm going to have to enjoy the win," he said. "That's what we do. You get one night to enjoy the win, actually, around here. You do, you get one night. And then when you wake up tomorrow morning, then it's on to Kansas City. So, you get a couple hours, so I'll be doing that and then I'll be thinking about next week."
Win or lose next week, Gronk's future will be a looming question ahead of the Super Bowl.
