Rob Gronkowski has always been seen as the goofy guy in a group of smart friends. Not trying to downplay it, that’s just how it’s always been. But if you really look at him, he’s far from that. In fact, he’s got serious street smarts. Just look at how he handled his NFL money — the legendary tight end, who made $70 million from his playing career, barely touched it.
It’s a story that’s swirled in sports circles and finance blogs alike: Gronk, unlike so many pro athletes, allegedly stashed every cent from his NFL paychecks and lived entirely off endorsement money.
And now, in his appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys, the tight end finally cleared up exactly how true that legend is.
“Technically… yeah,” Rob Gronkowski said with a grin, as he confirmed the veracity of the reports.
“Drew Rosenhaus actually gave me a $50,000 upfront marketing budget at the beginning… I took that 50 grand, I bought a car, I paid for my spot in New England,” he explained.
The key word there? “Technically.” Because, as Gronk went on to explain, it’s not that he never spent any money early in his career, it’s that he was extraordinarily smart and intentional about how he handled it.
For context, Gronk lived with a roommate his first couple of years, drove a modest car, and embraced a conservative mindset that made him assume that his NFL riches wouldn’t last forever. “I was a second-round pick, four-year, $4 million deal… if I play this contract out, I’ll be set for life. I got $2 million in the bank… That’s set for life to me.”
So what Gronkowski did instead was lean on his endorsements. And considering his status as one of the NFL’s most recognizable faces, they were no small gigs. From T-Mobile to Dunkin’ Donuts, Tide, Cheerios, Lyft, Monster Energy, Visa, and even USAA, Gronk cashed in on his charisma.
All the while, his actual football earnings remained untouched, growing quietly in the background.
“I just used my money. I was getting off the field to spend on whatever I needed,” he said. “To this day, technically, I have not spent any of my NFL money.”
It might sound simple, but Gronk’s approach is rare. In a league where countless players go broke shortly after retirement, his discipline and planning stand out. In fact, he wrote about this very lifestyle in his 2015 book, It’s Good to Be Gronk, where he claimed he still wore jeans from high school and had no interest in flashy jewellery or cars.
So yes, Gronkowski has partied, danced shirtless on boats, and played the lovable meathead role to perfection. But behind that persona is a guy who quietly did something most players only dream of — he secured his future, financially and otherwise, before walking away from the game. And apparently, with every single game check still in the bank.
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