Former NFL player Rob Gronkowski Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Rob Gronkowski clears the air over blocking potential trade to Lions

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 7/25/23

Ahead of the 2018 NFL season, multi-time All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski vetoed a trade to the Detroit Lions, threatening to retire instead of leaving the New England Patriots. Or, so the story goes because Gronkowski has a different version of the events.

Appearing on "The Season with Peter Schrager," Gronkowski cleared the air, insisting that blocking the trade had nothing to do with the Lions.

"Whoever I got traded to, I was going to retire," Gronkowski said. "Like, it didn't matter if it was the Lions, I wasn't going regardless."

Rob Gronkowski was almost traded to the Detroit Lions.

He wasn’t having it.

He tells the incredible story — with some bleeps— here, on this week’s episode of “The Season with Peter Schrager”.

⁦@nflnetwork⁩ ⁦@NFLMedia⁩ ⁦@gmfb⁩ ⁦@RobGronkowski⁩ pic.twitter.com/Z1DcqPuZhv
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) July 26, 2023

Gronkowski said while he received more than a few saucy four-letter words from members of the Lions faithful, he knew his decision had little to do with the destination.

"Everybody was saying, 'Oh, he doesn't want to go the Lions,' like, 'Oh, Detroit. F Detroit,' and everyone was coming at me." Gronkowski said, "In the back of my mind, I was like, 'Nah,' it was that I just wasn't gonna go—I was like, 'Patriots or nothing.'"

However, what would the trade have looked like if the deal went down? Well, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Patriots would've received the Lions' first (20) and second-round (51) picks in 2018 in exchange for the future Hall of Fame tight end and New England's second-rounder (43).

Gronkowski explained that his behavior led to the potential trade in the first place. Though, once he realized Bill Belichick had grown tired of his antics, he shaped up. And it ended up being a good choice, as the Patriots finished the year 11-5 that season, ultimately defeating the Los Angeles Rams to win Super Bowl LIII.

"I was so glad I vetoed that trade," Gronkowski said. "Football is football and business and business. You know, you get over that quick, man."

More must-reads: