The Los Angeles Rams have a unique opportunity to send a player to an overdue retirement. Look for Super Bowl LIII to be the last game and last loss tight end Rob Gronkowski experiences in his NFL career.
Retirement in the National Football League is no laughing matter. With that said, I expect the Los Angeles Rams to send New England Patriots right end and future Hall Of Famer Rob Gronkowski to a retirement he should have taken last season.
Don’t forget, rumblings before the after the Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the last Super Bowl were that Gronk might be ready to move on from football and do something else. Also, that indecision led New England to explore possible trade opportunities before welcoming him back to the fold for another run.
This season seems different. Actually, everything with the Patriots seems at least a little different with the exception of them being a participant in Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII.
The Patriots look like a team at a crossroads. Almost as if they may sense that this run may be a last for Gronkowski and maybe even Bill Belichick. With a script that suggests a team like the Rams are in Atlanta to grab the baton, this Super Bowl looks as if it’s part wrap-up for one franchise like the Patriots, and a launch for Los Angeles.
As for Gronkowski, he’s has a solid run. With the exception of injuries that seemed to nag at him every season, he’s been a player who, along with Tom Brady defined an excellence the Rams will look to emulate on Super Bowl Sunday and the immediate seasons the come.
Sunday in Atlanta is shaping up to be perhaps that last long look at what the Patriots dynasty is. Expect the Rams to shed no tears as they help send one of the best tight ends in NFL history to an logical retirement.