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Gronk says he'd retire if forced to make a decision immediately

The tight end spoke to TMZ Sports about his future.

Rob Gronkowski might be retiring, again.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers star tight end told TMZ Sports that if he were forced to decide today, he'd walk away from his successful NFL career.

"If they're like, 'Rob, you've got to decide right now, right this second if you're playing next year,' I would say no right now. It's two days after the season," Gronk told TMZ. "I would be like, 'No, I'm not playing.'...You've got to give it some time. You've got to rest."

Gronk told the outlet he has to see how his body heals and how everything goes before landing on a decision about his future. The free agent suggested his answer could change in a few weeks as he physically recovers from a tough season.

The 32-year-old future Hall of Famer previously retired in 2019 after nine seasons with the New England Patriots. But, that retirement was short-lived, lasting only 13 months before he joined Tom Brady in Tampa, where they won last year's Super Bowl.

This year, NFL.com says Gronk played in 12 regular-season games – boasting 55 catches for six touchdowns and 802 yards, which was his greatest yardage since 2017.

But, the postseason came to a halt last Sunday when the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Bucs in the NFL Divisional Round.

Brady, who is Gronk's close friend, is under contract for 2022. But, even he hasn't confirmed whether he'll actually be coming back in the fall. If he doesn't, it won't be due to performance. The G.O.A.T. finished the season with a career-high 5,316 passing yards.

If 44-year-old Brady decides to call it quits, it could factor into Gronk's decision about his own future.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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