It's time to fire up the debate: Is Rob Gronkowski the greatest tight end in NFL history?
The New England Patriots star announced his retirement Sunday on Instagram, leaving a huge hole in the team's offense. Gronk wasn't the same dominant pass-catcher in 2018 that we have seen in recent seasons, but he still was able to come up clutch when needed -- look no further than Super Bowl LIII.
Gronkowski leaves pro football as arguably the best tight end ever to play. Some people will argue Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates, and if Gronkowski didn't miss so many games with injuries, he might have posted the same career stats as those two legends and others.
Still, Gronkowski exits with a lengthy and most impressive list of NFL records. Check them all out in the tweet below:
Few players have a list of records that long. This kind of résumé is only seen from the best to every play the game.
Would anyone be shocked if Gronkowski came back late in the 2019 season or in time for another deep playoff run? Even if he doesn't, his stats make an extremely strong case for a first-ballot Hall of Fame honor in the near future.
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