Rob Gronkowski Inducted Into Patriots Hall of Fame -- A Career Retrospective
It's official: The greatest tight end in New England Patriots history has earned his red jacket. Like that was any surprise.
Rob Gronkowski, the larger-than-life superstar who made winning fun for the Patriots since he was being drafted in 2010, has been inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. With offensive guard Logan Mankins and kicker Adam Vinatieri also on the 2026 ballot, fans voted Gronkowski to become the 38th member to be inducted.
He now joins his teammates and close friends, Tom Brady and Julian Edelman, in the annals of New England football legacy. In his first year on the ballot, "Gronk" was a surefire pick for the fans to be inducted. It's difficult to summarize what the legendary tight end has meant to the football team and its fanbase.
So here's a flashback through time, from when he heard his name called on draft day to hoisting the Lombard Trophy in his final game for New England. This is Rob Gronkowski, the career retrospective.
2010: World, Meet Gronk
You could sense that Gronkowski would become an all-time player just by how he celebrated getting drafted. After back surgery at Arizona caused him to slide in the draft, the Patriots picked Gronkowski with the 42nd overall pick after a trade up with the Oakland Raiders. He and his clan of brothers went crazy, hugging and getting amped up beyond belief. To open up his rookie preseason, he scored four times, something he'd carry into the regular season almost immediately.
In Week 1, a home win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Gronkowski caught his first career touchdown. He found the end zone in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills and Week 7 against the San Diego Chargers, but it wasn't until a Sunday Night Football clash against the Pittsburgh Steelers where the world was truly introduced to Gronk.
Under the bright lights, the tight end caught five balls for 72 yards and three touchdowns -- all career-bests at that point. A chemistry with his MVP quarterback was brewing, and he ended the season grabbing four more touchdowns, including three in the final two weeks of the regular season. Gronk had begun to emerge.
2010 Stats: 42 receptions, 546 receiving yards, 10 total touchdowns (regular season) / Four receptions, 65 receiving yards (postseason)
2011: "Yo Soy Fiesta!"
His rookie season was great by any stretch of the imagination. But it would have been hard to predict how much better his 2011 season would be. Gronkowski had five touchdowns in the Patriots' first three games of the year, and by Week 14, he had 16 total scores. This entire season was just pure domination on a football field by a human being too big and too strong for anyone else.
There was his mid-air flip onto his neck against Kansas City under the primetime lights. There was his rumble down the sideline against Washington in Week 14. His diving grab against Denver in the AFC Divisional was part of a three-score game in a total rout. Gronkowski was here to stay, and his new tight end touchdown record (17 receiving, 18 total) was proof.
The awards became to pile up at a rapid pace. Gronkowski was voted as the AFC's top tight end at the Pro Bowl and he was named First Team All-Pro. But a high ankle sprain in the conference championship game -- the same game where he famously uttered "Yo Soy Fiesta" in the locker room -- was a preview of what was to come for Gronk's career.
2011 Stats: 90 receptions, 1,327 receiving yards, two rushing yards, 18 total touchdowns (regular season) / 17 receptions, 258 receiving yards, three total touchdowns (postseason)
2012: Massive Payday & Major Pain
Three months before the season started, Gronkowski signed a six-yer extension worth $54 million, the largest ever for a tight end at that time. Once the season started, it was more of the same. He caught three touchdowns in the Patriots' first four games, and had 104 receiving yards in a Week 4 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Then the injuries came. He was inactive for the final five games of the regular season after breaking his forearm in Week 11, only to reinjure it in the AFC Divisional against the Houston Texans. That second injury ended his season, where he was named to another Pro Bowl team.
2012 Stats: 55 receptions, 790 receiving yards, 11 total touchdowns (regular season)
2013: Torn ACL/MCL Cuts Season Short
In what was supposed to be the height of Gronkowski's prime, it was one of his shortest seasons. Because of that previous left forearm injury, he didn't end up making his season debut until late October. He played in seven games, surpassing 100+ receiving yards three times, before one of his biggest injuries happened.
In a Week 14 game against the Cleveland Browns, Gronkowski was hit low in the legs by safety TJ Ward. He crumpled to the ground and was carted off the field. The outcome? A torn ACL and MCL that required surgery. Another season lost for the tight end.
2013 Stats: 39 receptions, 592 receiving yards, four total touchdowns (regular season)
2014: Spiking In The Super Bowl
With his ACL/MCL fully healed, Gronkowski returned to action the next fall with plenty of new equipment. He had braces all over his body and was looking like a football cyborg on the field. Maybe that's why his 2014 was almost like a robot was on the field.
Gronk had six games of more than 90+ receiving yards and became the first tight end in NFL history to score 10+ touchdowns in four different seasons. He was throwing people out of the club, spiking the ball almost weekly and was building his case as the greatest tight end ever.
Gronkowski was named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year, was voted to his third Pro Bowl and second All-Pro Team. It was almost impossible to not see a Patriots No. 87 jersey being worn by fans out in the wild. He had become a cultural icon.
In the playoffs, he was equally as dominant. One of his biggest touchdowns -- a 22-yard catch down the sideline in Super Bowl XLIX -- helped the Patriots win their first Super Bowl in a decade.
2014 Stats: 82 receptions, 1,124 receiving yards, 12 total touchdowns (regular season) / 16 receptions, 204 receiving yards, three total touchdowns (postseason)
2015: Rewriting The History Books
Gronkowski started the season with three touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the opener. He closed the year with one of the most impressive catches of his career, a "gotta-have-it" touchdown against the Denver Broncos in the AFC championship. Putting together a second-straight First Team All-Pro campaign, Gronkowski had become the focal point of New England's methodical passing offense.
He also became the first player in NFL history with multiple three-touchdown games against the Steelers in his career, while also leading all non-quarterbacks in Pro Bowl voting.
But injuries also played a role. Against the Broncos in Week 12, he was carted off the field after suffering a right knee injury. While it didn't impact how he played down the stretch, Patriots fans were spotting a trend: "This Gronkowski guy just can't stop getting hurt, huh?"
2015 Stats: 72 receptions, 1,176 receiving yards, 11 total touchdowns (regular season) / 15 receptions, 227 receiving yards, three total touchdowns (postseason)
2016: Setting Records Before Being Sidelined
His 2016 season started in Week 3, as Gronkowski missed the first two games bcause of a hamstring injury. When he finally got healthy, he began to break longstanding franchise records. In Week 8, Gronk caught his 68th career receiving touchdown, surpassing Patriots Hall of Fame wide receiver Stanley Morgan for the most in team history.
Two weeks later, he suffered a pulmonary contusion after a hard hit against the Seattle Seahawks. Two weeks after that injury, Gronkowski dealt with a herniated disk in his back. That injury ended his season, and he had to watch New England storm all the way back from 28-3 to win Super Bowl LI.
2016 Stats: 25 receptions, 540 receiving yards, three total touchdowns (regular season)
2017: Antics, The Kind Only Gronk Could Provide
At this point, Gronkowski knew what he was -- on the football field and off. With the pads on, he was a monster, a force of nature that linebackers and defensive backs couldn't bring down. Off of it, he was a jester, a jovial clown with a happy-go-lucky nature. In 2017, those lines began to blur.
Against the Buffalo Bills, Gronk jumped on the back of cornerback Tre'Davious White following an interception, giving him a concussion. The NFL suspended the tight end for one week, a game they ended up losing to the Miami Dolphins.
After returning from suspension, he put together one of his most iconic moments in a Patriots uniform. During a late drive, Gronkowski caught three-straight passes for 69 yards on the team's game-winning drive. It ended with him grabbing the two-point conversation, and physically laughing over Steelers safety Sean Davis. That one drive encapsulated Gronk perfectly.
In the AFC title game against Jacksonville, he suffered a concussion and missed the remainder of the game. When he returned to the field, this time in Super Bowl LII, he had one of his best games. The First Team All-Pro caught nine balls for 116 yards and a pair of scores, but the Patriots fell short in their quest for back-to-back championships.
2017 Stats: 69 receptions, 1,084 receiving yards, eight total touchdowns (regular season) / 16 receptions, 218 receiving yards, three touchdowns (postseason)
2018: Legendary Legacy Cemented
In 2018, Gronkowski just looked a step slower than he once was. Maybe that was why the team had agreed to trade him to the Detroit Lions before he threatened to retire. The trade agreement was put on hold. He caught just three touchdowns in what was a trying season for Gronkowski.
The injuries didn't pile up, but you could sense they had taken a toll. When the Patriots allowed a last-second lateral play to the Miami Dolphins in Week 14, Gronkowski had lined up as a safety to defend a possible hail mary. It never came, and the tight end wasn't able to catch Kenyan Drake en route to the end zone.
But the postseason -- where he always seemed to succeed -- was like second nature for him. Against Kansas City in the AFC championship, he had six catches in the overtime win, including several on crucial third downs. Against the LA Rams in Super Bowl LIII, he had one final iconic moment in a New England uniform. He connected with Brady on a sprawling, 29-yard catch to set up the game's only touchdown. The 29-year-old tight end, who'd later be named to the NFL's All-Time Team, decided to end his career on top.
The Patriots legend had announced his retirement from the NFL after nine seasons, walking away from the game as one of the greatest to ever lace them up. He was done. Or was he?
2018 Stats: 47 receptions, 682 receiving yards, three total touchdowns (regular season) / 13 receptions, 191 receiving yards (postseason)
Career Patriots Stats: 794 receptions, 7,861 receiving yards, two rushing yards, 80 total touchdowns (regular season) / 81 receptions, 1,163 receiving yards, 12 total touchdo (postseason)
After one season away from the game, Gronkowski came out of retirement ahead of the 2020 season, and the Patriots traded his rights (and a seventh round pick) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a fourth pick draft pick. He rejoined with Brady down south, and was a key part of that team's Super Bowl title. When the Buccaneers came to Gillette Stadium the next year, Gronkowski was inactive because of rib fractures and a punctured lung.
He would officially retire that offseason, and then ceremonially sign a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Patriots in Nov. 2025.
That one-day contract hangs up in the Patriots Hall of Fame, adjacent to Gillette Stadium. So will Gronkowski's name and number when the team formally inducts him later this year.
The fun-loving tight end and his thunderous touchdown spikes are forever enshrined in Patriots history. Just like it was always meant to be.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Rob Gronkowski Inducted Into Patriots Hall of Fame -- A Career Retrospective.
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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 8:24 AM.