Tom Brady knew he could always rely on Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski. Their long-time partnership was at its finest in the 2021 Super Bowl, their last. Now, Brady shared what exactly made the former tight end so special.

“Gronk was really unique, you know, I think Gronk was the greatest blocking tight end in history,” Brady said in an episode of the New Heights podcast. “Gronk could handle defensive ends. He was at the point of attack in the run game. … We didn’t care. We would rather go to Gronk than the open-side tackle. So that’s a really underrated part of his game.”

The seven-time Super Bowl champion made an appearance on the Kelce brothers’ podcast on July 8. He shared anecdotes about his former teammates and raved about the former tight end. 

The well-earned praise from Brady comes after Patriots fans voted Gronk into the team’s Hall of Fame. It was announced on April 29 that Gronk is their 38th inductee. He played with the Patriots for nine years before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the last years of his career. 

The 37-year-old holds a regular-season record of 521 catches for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdown receptions with the Patriots. As for the postseason, he stands at 81 catches, 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

“There was just part of his game that was very natural for him. He was really a natural athlete,” he told Jason and Travis Kelce. 

Gronk and Brady won four Super Bowl titles, three with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers. Their last campaign was in 2021 against tight end Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs. Gronk was an important piece of Brady’s and the team’s success. 

“When we didn’t have Gronk, I — as a quarterback — for the first time in my career realized like ‘Oh [expletive], like we lose those matchups all of the time,’” Brady said. 

The two played together till the end, even as injuries marred Gronk’s glory days. The toll of being a reliable teammate wore him down, and Gronk retired in 2022 for good. His impact is everlasting. 

Travis Kelce lavished Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski in high praise

Travis Kelce has emerged not just as the Kansas City Chiefs' but as a league-wide formidable tight end. The three-time Super Bowl champion understands what his position demands of players and commended Rob Gronkowski.

“He was a jack of all trades, and he was a dream piece for any offensive coordinator,” Travis Kelce said in conversation with Tom Brady. “There’s only so much you can do when you watch Gronk in terms of like incorporating it into your game because the guy had so much of a gift and a feel for the run game.”

The 36-year-old has made 1,080 career receptions for 13,002 yards and 82 touchdowns. Brady, who retired in 2023, estimated what their duo could produce on the field.

“You’ve had a unique athleticism, Trav,” Brady said. “Silky-smooth route runner, incredible feel out there. I think, if I played with you, you would’ve had 110, 120 [catches] a year.”

One could imagine how their partnership would electrify the stadiums. What are your thoughts? 

Read more at Quarter Back Central! 

Written by

Akanksha Biradar