Rob Gronkowski Reportedly Close to Finalizing Contract with WWE

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is "deep in talks with WWE and close to finalizing a deal," per Ryan Satin on WWE Backstage on Tuesday.  

Satin said that it's unclear how WWE would use Gronkowski but that he could appear on WWE SmackDown on Friday, March 20 in New Orleans.

Gronkowski played nine years for the Pats and won three Super Bowls. He appeared on the WrestleMania 33 preshow in April 2017 and helped Mojo Rawley defeat Jinder Mahal for the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Talk of Gronkowski signing with the WWE have persisted alongside chatter that he'll return to the field after retiring following the 2018 season.

In August 2019, Gronkowski expressed interest in participating in a match but said he didn't want to be a full-time wrestler, per Brent Brookhouse of CBS Sports:

"With wrestling, I don't feel like I would be a full-time wrestler, but there is one thing I'm down for. And that's to do one crazy match. Practice it for a little bit, go out there, like in a Royal Rumble, go out there, I got my friend in WWE [Rawley], practice it and do a full-on WWE match. I'm not saying when. Maybe five years. I got the rest of my life to do that. I've always dreamed about doing that, just one time, going in there and going full out. That may be a possibility, one time, down the road."

John Cena also endorsed Gronkowski in a WWE setting, saying the following to ESPN in December 2018 (h/t Evan Bleier of InsideHook): "I think he'd be a great WWE Superstar. I really do. I think he's got this unbelievable energy and infectious electricity about him. I think if he wants to take off the pads and step in the arena, I think he'll feel right at home."

While it's unclear how often Gronkowski would appear on WWE programming, provided the deal is finalized, the current Fox football analyst looks as though he'll soon be performing in front of tens of thousands of fans once again.