Rob Gronkowski: Felt Like Patriots 'Still Lost' Even When We Won Regular-Season Games

Being a Patriot isn't all it's cracked up to be, according to former New England tight end Rob Gronkowski.

During a recent appearance on FanDuel's Up & Adams show, Gronkowski said that playing for the Patriots was tough and that it became even tougher if they lost a game, which he said felt like "super depression."

Gronkowski said, as transcribed by MassLive's Chris Mason:

"A regular season game with the Patriots actually, throughout my 20s, if we won a game, the next day it felt like we still lost a game. And if we lost a game, it felt like you were in super depression for like two days...or like for the whole week. So that's what made you really want to win the games when you were with the Patriots: Because you didn't want to ever feel that depression feeling for the two days after the game. You're like, 'We have to win the game. We have to win the game so we have a good week, so we feel good tomorrow.'"

Earlier this week, Gronkowski said during an appearance on the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce that he has even begun rooting for his hometown Buffalo Bills over his former team.

"OK, now I'm retired again, so I wanna bring this back up," Gronkowski said, per Mason. "I'm kind of a Buffalo Bills fan now, again."

Gronkowski had been vocal about how difficult it was to play for the Patriots after he came out of retirement and the franchise traded him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, though he did express how grateful he was to play in New England.

The 33-year-old said in April 2020, via NBC Sports Boston:

"Coach (Belichick) says it all the time. He always says it—that it's not an easy place to play. I'm very thankful for the nine years I had with the New England Patriots, hands down, I learned so much under that organization. I learned so much football from the best coach, hands down, that will not change, the best coach in all of football, coach Belichick. I've learned more football than I had my entire life under coach Belichick. And just learning so much under the organization of Mr. Kraft, too, two guys that I look up to and will always look up to.

"They are the ones who drafted me and gave me my first opportunities ever in the NFL and I'm very thankful for those opportunities. And I'm not going to sit here and say it's an easy organization to play for, and I've also never played for another organization. I haven't even been down to Tampa yet, so I'm not even sure what to expect. But I know, that the New England Patriots, it's not the easiest place to play, but it gets you right, it gets you mentally and physically right, and what I've learned there I'm definitely going to take it with me with my future and whatever I have present to this day."

Many other former Patriots have also expressed how difficult it is to play for Belichick, including Tom Brady, Kyle Van Noy, Tedy Bruschi and Cassius Marsh, among others.

Gronkowski spent nine seasons with the Patriots before retiring after the 2018 season. He won three Super Bowls with the franchise and earned five Pro Bowl selections and four All-Pros.

The Arizona product forged an unbreakable connection with Brady, and he ultimately decided to come out of retirement ahead of the 2020 season to join the veteran signal-caller in Tampa Bay.

Gronkowski and Brady went on to win another Super Bowl together during the 2020 season, and the star tight end remained with the Buccaneers for the 2021 season before announcing his retirement for a second time.

With Gronkowski a free agent and Brady set to become a free agent, there has been plenty of speculation about whether the duo could return to New England. However, Gronkowski said he doubts Brady will return to the Patriots this offseason, and it's pretty safe to say the veteran tight end won't be heading back to Foxborough, either.