It's good to be Gronk.

Former UA star Rob Gronkowski will grace the cover of the iconic Madden NFL '17, it was revealed Thursday on ESPN's "SportsCenter." Gronkowski becomes the first former Arizona Wildcat to grace the cover of the video game. 

Thursday was a busy day for the Patriots' smirking, partying tight end. Gronkowski will also appear on the cover of June's GQ, posing with a bikini model. The title of the cover story: "Gronk up your life." 

Gronkowski has emerged as arguably the best tight end in the history of the NFL. Through six pro seasons, the 6-foot-6-inch, 265-pounder has caught 380 passes for 5,555 yards and 65 touchdowns. His numbers wold be even better if not for a spate of injuries that limited him to 11 games in 2012 and seven games in 2013.

Health may be the only thing to slow him down this fall, too, and that's where Thursday's announcement gets interesting. Gronkowski will try to avoid the "Madden Curse," a well-documented drop in productivity during the year in which the player makes the game's cover. Shaun Alexander, Marshall Faulk,  Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper and Ray Lewis are among the players who suffered serious injuries during their year in the Madden spotlight. 

Last year's cover boy, Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr., managed to avoid the bad luck. He caught a career-high 96 passes for 1,450 yards. 

Madden NFL '17 will be released Aug. 23.

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