New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) talks to a teammate on the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski holds the championship trophy after the NFL football AFC Championship game Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots defeated the Colts 45-7 to advance to the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
FILE - In this Jan 2, 2011, file photo, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) celebrates his touchdown reception in front of wide receiver Brandon Tate (19) in the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) talks to a teammate on the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Elise Amendola
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski holds the championship trophy after the NFL football AFC Championship game Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots defeated the Colts 45-7 to advance to the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Matt Slocum
FILE - In this Jan 2, 2011, file photo, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) celebrates his touchdown reception in front of wide receiver Brandon Tate (19) in the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski officially announced his retirement from the NFL after nine seasons in the league. The former Arizona Wildcat announced on his Instagram page Sunday afternoon.
A post shared by Rob Gronkowski (@gronk) on Mar 24, 2019 at 2:53pm PDT
Gronkowski, the No. 42 overall pick in the second-round pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, finished his NFL career with 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns. He finished his career 104th on the league's all-time receiving yards list. Gronkowski also was a five-time Pro Bowl player and made the All-Pro four times.Β
Over his nine-year career, Gronkowski, also known as "Gronk," helped lead the Patriots to three Super Bowls in five appearances with star quarterback Tom Brady. He holds the records for most catches (23) and receiving yards (297) in a Super Bowl for a tight end.Β
The records don't stop there for Gronkowski. He is still the only tight end in NFL history to lead the league in receiving touchdowns, which he did in 2011. Gronk's 17 touchdowns that season are the most in a season for a tight end. He is tied with Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez for most 1,000-plus yards seasons with four.Β
Before his NFL career, Gronkowski played three seasons at the UA and became an All-Pac-10 first team tight end in 2008 and a third-team All-American in the same season.Β