Rob Gronkowski opens up about playing in Patriots vs Jets TNF game after signing one-day contract

Rob Gronkowski turned his retirement celebration into a strategy session. He joked that a timing loophole could’ve landed him on the Patriots’ active roster for Thursday night’s matchup against the New York Jets.

The four-time Super Bowl winner signed his one-day retirement deal on Wednesday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. The signing took place at 12:15 p.m. with team owner Robert Kraft on hand.

Speaking on Wednesday's episode of "Up & Adams," Gronkowski described asking agent Drew Rosenhaus whether ceremonial contracts have any real football function.

"I hit up my agent Drew Rose, and I was like, Hey, how do these one day contracts even work? I mean, are they truly official? Like, you gotta take someone off the roster," Gronkowski said. "Like, do I typically, like, or, you know, possibly can get a signing bonus as well?"

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"Like, you have to probably have some type of pay, you know, structured in the contract, even if it's a one day contract ... if I do sign a one day he would put me in Josh McDaniels, he knows how to ... But if I sign it, if I sign it today, at 12:15 it expires at 12:15 tomorrow, I gotta wait till like 10 pm to sign it tonight, because then I can, typically, I can, I can actually play in the game. Then, until, you know, until about 10:30 tomorrow night."

When Wednesday’s ceremony began, Kraft kept the energy going by joking about extending the agreement to a two-day deal. Gronkowski quickly quipped back, asking if that came with a signing bonus.

The signing doubled as a tribute to Susan Hurley, a longtime New England philanthropist who died Nov. 1 after battling ovarian cancer. Rob Gronkowski, who hasn’t played since 2021, said he wanted his NFL gesture to honor her wish that he retire as a Patriot.

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Hurley’s friendship inspired Kraft to move up the Rob Gronkowski retirement ceremony

The idea to make Rob Gronkowski’s retirement official started months earlier during the opening of a new Boston playground that Gronkowski’s foundation funded with a $1.8 million donation. Hurley, who attended the event, suggested to Kraft that they formalize Gronkowski’s farewell.

The Patriots' owner, who had originally planned a ceremony when Gronkowski became eligible for the team’s Hall of Fame, moved the timetable forward after her request.

Gronkowski publicly confirmed his plans on "Fox NFL Sunday" last week, saying he wanted to “be a Patriot for life.”

From 2010 to 2018, Rob Gronkowski was the engine of New England’s passing attack. He finished his Patriots career with 521 catches, 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns. He collected three Super Bowl rings during that stretch.

Edited by nagpaltusharn25