Rob Gronkowski announced that he is retiring from the NFL after nine seasons, all with the New England Patriots.
Gronkowski will go down as one of the best tight ends of all-time, with 521 total catches (130th all-time), 7,861 receiving yards (104th all-time), and 79 touchdowns (28th). He also won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, made four All-Pro teams, and five Pro Bowl teams.
Gronkowski's career accomplishments don't necessarily tell the full tale of his impact. During his career, Gronkowski was one of the most unstoppable forces in all of football, and could have easily climbed higher on the all-time career lists if not for injuries and an early retirement.
Gronkowski made nearly $54 million in his nine years in the NFL, sixth-most for a tight end, according to Spotrac.
Source: Spotrac
However, Gronkowski has said he didn't spend any of his NFL earnings, instead relying on his endorsement money.
Gronkowski has a long list of endorsements throughout his career, including Nike, Tide, Dunkin' Donuts, Monster, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lyft, Visa, Foot Locker, and more.
Gronkowski once said he used to endorse anything because was so enamored with the money he was making.
Source: Uninterrupted
Despite a solid revenue stream, Gronkowski credited his financial savvy to living simply. "Get what you need to be comfortable, save the extra," he said.
By professional athlete standards, Gronkowski doesn't seem to live an incredibly lavish life. He appears to own two homes. One is in Foxborough, Massachusetts, near the Patriots practice facility, where he lives with two roommates.
The house was famously broken into and robbed during the 2017 Super Bowl.
Source: CBS Boston
Gronkowski appears to also have a Boston penthouse that he put up for sale in 2019 for $2.3 million.
According to Boston Magazine, it is not confirmed that Gronkowski owns the penthouse, but the Boston Herald reported in 2016 that the home sold to a Gronkowski Endorsements LLC. The home also features several pieces of Gronkowski and Patriots apparel on the walls.
Source: Douglas Elliman
Gronkowski told Uninterrupted's Maverick Carter that one big splurge was a diamond chain.
"I gotta finally treat myself," Gronkowski said of the decision to buy the necklace. "It's been eight years, I haven't really bought anything in my career, don't really have anything luxury like that. So, last week I finally went out and bought myself a chain."
Source: Uninterrupted
Though Gronkowski lives more modestly than some professional athletes, very little about him is understated. His performances at the Patriots' Super Bowl parades are legendary — from going shirtless this year...
Gronk might be known as the NFL's most notorious partier. He once owned a party bus called the "Sinners Bus."
Source: Sports Illustrated
He previously topped the party bus by introducing a Gronk party boat cruise.
Source: Gronk's Party Ship/Twitter
How much does Gronk love to party? He reportedly once racked up a $102,000 bar tab in Las Vegas, though Gronkowski denied the rumors.
Source: TMZ
Gronkowski enjoys partying enough that Tom Brady put him on a food and alcohol diet. As it turns out, it was pretty difficult!
When he's not partying, Gronkowski has dipped his toes into show business — something he is expected to do more of in retirement.
Gronkowski has made TV and film appearances as himself, but his big acting debut was in a film called "American Violence." The movie has a 28% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
Gronkowski also acted in a low-budget movie called "You Can't Have It" in which he played a cop. He didn't earn rave reviews.
Source: Sports Illustrated
Gronkowski might be better suited for WWE. He made an appearance at WrestleMania 33 in 2017.
Source: WWE