Rob Gronkowski is retiring from the NFL at 29 years old after 9 seasons

David Richard/AP

• Rob Gronkowski is retiring from the NFL.
• Gronkowski is 29 and has played all nine seasons os his career with the New England Patriots.
• Gronkowski will go down as one of the most talented tight ends of all-time, but injuries hampered his career.

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is retiring from the NFL.

Gronkowski is 29 and has played nine seasons in the NFL, all with the Patriots. He was drafted in the second round by the Patriots with the 42nd pick overall.

Gronkowski had reportedly mulled retirement last offseason, but ultimately decided to return to the Patriots for the 2018 season. Gronkowski was mum on retirement at the end of the 2018 season, and his agent later told reporters that Gronkowski would make up his mind during the offseason.

Read more: Gronk brushes off question about his future, but his answer could be a clue that he has already decided to retire

Despite a relatively short career, Gronkowski will go down as one of the most skilled tight ends and offensive players in NFL history. He finishes his career with 521 total catches (130th all-time), 7,861 receiving yards (104th all-time), and 79 touchdowns (28th).

Of course, a big part of Gronkowski's career has been his injuries. He played all 16 games just twice in his career (2011 and 2012) and missed significant time in 2013 and 2016, playing just seven and eight games, respectively.