Rob Gronkowski says there's 'no chance' he'll ever unretire a second time and return to NFL

It seems like Gronk has made up his mind for real this time

Former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski had a very successful football career that included winning four Super Bowl rings. He has unretired once before, but the 33-year-old star is not planning on doing it again.

"There's no chance anymore," he told TMZ. "I'm happily retired."

Gronkowski initially retired on March 24, 2019, when he was 29 and had played for nine seasons. Although he knew he was physically still capable of playing at a high level, Gronkowski said back then that the injuries he had to endure while playing left him in a bad place mentally, according to ESPN.

He unretired in 2020 to join Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and together the former New England Patriots teammates won Super Bowl LV. Gronkowski retired again in 2022, but at the time even his agent wasn't sure he would stay retired.

When asked about whether he would rather return to the NFL or retire for good, Gonkowski's answer last year was ambiguous.

"Oh man, I'm gonna do both," he told CBS Sports back then.

It seems like Gronkowski has made up his mind for real this time, though. Gronk has found other ways to stay busy, as he is involved with his alma mater and is set to be a team captain for the Arizona Wildcats' spring football game on April 15. He is also trying a new sport, as he told TMZ that he plays pickleball.

"I'm happily retired. I'm still competing, I'm still winning, so I don't even need to go back to football," Gronk said.