Rob Gronkowski Says He's 'Locked In, Ready to Roll' Ahead of 2018 Super Bowl

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has yet to be cleared from the NFL's concussion protocol, but the five-time Pro Bowler appears ready to suit up for Super Bowl LII on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Gronkowski shared an Instagram photo Monday that included the caption, "Locked in, ready to roll":

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Gronkowski was "jovial" and "at ease" prior to traveling to Minneapolis for the Super Bowl. Rapoport added Gronkowski believes he'll be medically cleared to compete by the end of the week:

ronkowski suffered a concussion following a helmet-to-helmet hit from safety Barry Church in the AFC Championship Game. Despite his absence, the Patriots came back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-20.

Although the tight end's status for Sunday's game remains up in the air, ESPN.com's Mike Reiss showed Gronkowski practicing with the team over the weekend:

It's impossible to understate Gronkowski's importance to New England's offense. He caught 69 passes for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns during the regular season, and he had six receptions for 81 yards and one touchdown in the team's divisional-round win over the Tennessee Titans.

NFL fans learned long ago not to bet against the Patriots in the playoffs—regardless of the circumstances—but even they'd struggle to cope without Gronkowski available against the Eagles.