We've heard a lot of former players say they believe Rob Gronkowski will come out of retirement. We haven't heard many players say the opposite.
But one of Gronkowski's former teammates was willing to throw cold water on the NFL comeback chatter.
Speaking at a recent NFL-sponsored event in Germany, retired New England Patriots offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer said he doesn't see Gronkowski -- his teammate of six years -- returning to the gridiron.
"I don’t think he will come back again," Vollmer told Adrian Franke of Spox.com, as transcribed by Pats Pulpit. "Just looking at his physical shape, I don’t think he’d be able to pull it off."
Gronkowski has lost considerable weight since announcing his retirement in March and apparently eschewed weight lifting for resistance band training.
Talk of the 30-year-old returning to the Patriots at some point this season has persisted, however, with a recent report pegging his comeback chances at 40 percent.
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Vollmer, who retired in 2016 after six full seasons as Gronkowski's teammate, added he always expected Gronkowski and Brady to retire at the same time. It's safe to say Brady has forced Vollmer to change that mindset after leading the Patriots to a Super Bowl title last season at age 41.
"He keeps saying that he will play until 45, but I wonder why," Vollmer said of Brady. "I’m giving him two more years — but not because he told me, I’m just going with my gut. Who knows?"
So, if we're to trust Vollmer's gut, expect two more years of Brady -- and zero more of Gronk.
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