Rob Gronkowski only played for two organizations during his NFL career: the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That being said, the all-time great tight end nearly landed in Detroit prior to the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Lions and Patriots had a trade framework in place before Gronk ultimately vetoed the deal. He threatened to retire, leading many to interpret his actions as a slight toward the city of Detroit.
During a recent interview with NFL insider Peter Schrager, Gronk gave some more detail explaining the situation.
The star tight end explained that at the time, it was Patriots or bust. He would’ve threatened retirement regardless of the team that New England was in trade talks with.
“I was like ‘Patriots or nothing,'” Gronk explained. “We gotta win one more Super Bowl.”
Take a look at his full response here:
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 and the Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl that season, and the tight end actually did go into retirement for the 2019 campaign. He would return in 2020 to win yet another Super Bowl with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.