All-time great Rob Gronkowski earns 'full-circle' moment with Patriots 

Gronkowski, now 36, joined team owner Robert Kraft for a special news conference to sign his ceremonial one-day contract. And after living up to his playful personality and joking about hoping the money from this contract comes in "straight cash," Gronkowski got serious. 

It was truly a full-circle moment for Rob Gronkowski 

Gronkowski referred to the moment as "full circle" and it being "an absolute no-brainer to retire as a Patriot for life."

"This means a lot to me. Big time. Because, I'm a New England Patriot. I'm a Patriot for life. My career started here and 100% needed to end here. There's no doubt about that," said Gronkowski. "I mean, the whole Gronk persona, everything about myself was all because of you guys, was all because of the fans here in New England, was all because of my teammates accepting me."

Aside from Brady, there are few players more synonymous with the Patriots' championship seasons than Gronkowski. 

Rob Gronkowski ranks among greatest tight ends ever 

The Amherst, N.Y., native played 115 of his 143 NFL games representing all of New England as a Patriot. He made 521 of his 621 receptions, recorded 7,861 of his 9,286 yards and scored 79 of his 92 touchdowns with the Patriots.

Gronkowski also made four of his five career Super Bowl appearances, winning three of his four rings, with New England. Stepping up in the biggest games, Gronkowski has 15 career playoff touchdowns, 12 of which came during his time as a Patriot. 

And to put Gronkowski's overall career in historical perspective, despite not losing as long as is often common for Hall of Famers, he ranks third all-time in receiving touchdowns and sixth in yards. Digging deeper, Gronkowski is even second all-time in yards per catch among tight ends.