Rob Gronkowski Shuts Down NFL Comeback Rumors: 'It's Time to Relax a Little'

Rob Gronkowski shut down what he called "crazy" rumors he might be considering a return to the NFL after three seasons away from the league.

"They must know something about me that I don’t," Gronkowski told Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz. "I wish I still had those powers, because that would be cool if I did. But I was just in Australia for a few days. Now it’s time to relax a little. No football.”

Gronkowski announced his first retirement from the NFL in May 2019, but returned in 2020 to play two more seasons with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Gronkowski told reporters in April 2020 that he wouldn't have come back "unless I was feeling it; unless I'm feeling good, feeling healthy and I'm feeling like I'm ready to go" (h/t Buccaneers.com.)

He and Brady won Super Bowl LV together following the 2020 season. Brady then briefly retired after the 2021 season.

Two months later, Brady announced he would return for the 2022 campaign, but that news wasn't enough to stop Gronkowski from announcing his second retirement in June 2022.

Gronkowski is now working as a Fox NFL studio analyst, where he contributes to both Fox NFL Sunday and Fox NFL Kickoff programming.

The rumors surrounding Gronkowski's return for a third stint in the NFL came days after the former tight end jokingly said on the Dudes on Dudes podcast that playing football would be easier than his current career as a media analyst.

"I was talking to my brother, actually, yesterday, and I told him, 'Hey, I might as well go back to football, because I'm grinding harder than I ever grinded before, and I'm not even playing football," Gronkowski said at the 30-second mark of the Feb. 22 episode. "So I might as well go back, because playing ball would be easier than what I've been doing over the last six months."

The reports that Gronkowski were seriously considering a return to the league were already shut down by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who referred to the report as "nonsense."

If Gronkowski stays retired from the NFL, he will be eligible for the Hall of Fame Class of 2027. He will likely be considered a first-ballot candidate after finishing his career as one of the most productive tight ends in NFL history.