Rob Gronkowski enjoyed plenty of good times with the New England Patriots, but that doesn't mean his nine-year career in Foxboro was always smooth sailing.
The 30-year-old tight end has come out of retirement, and on Tuesday he was traded by the Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a move that reunites him with quarterback Tom Brady.
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Gronkowski spoke to the media Wednesday for the first time since the surprising trade to the Bucs. It's well known that New England isn't the easiest place to play, and Gronkowski was asked if that had anything to do with his decision to step away from the game last year.
"Coach (Belichick) says it all the time. He always says it -- that it's not an easy place to play," Gronkowski said. "I'm very thankful for the nine years I had with the New England Patriots, hands down, I learned so much under that organization. I learned so much football from the best coach, hands down, that will not change, the best coach in all of football, coach Belichick. I've learned more football than I had my entire life under coach Belichick. And just learning so much under the organization of Mr. Kraft, too, two guys that I look up to and will always look up to.
"They are the ones who drafted me and gave me my first opportunities ever in the NFL and I'm very thankful for those opportunities. And I'm not going to sit here and say it's an easy organization to play for, and I've also never played for another organization. I haven't even been down to Tampa yet, so I'm not even sure what to expect. But I know, that the New England Patriots, it's not the easiest place to play, but it gets you right, it gets you mentally and physically right, and what I've learned there I'm definitely going to take it with me with my future and whatever I have present to this day."
The culture in New England is very demanding. Expectations are extraordinarily high and the preparation for each opponent is intense. It's hard to argue with the results -- six Super Bowl championships in 20 seasons is pretty damn impressive -- but it can take a toll on some players.
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Gronkowski will play for a totally different head coach in Tampa Bay. Bruce Arians is considered more of a players coach than Belichick, and Gronkowski is excited to work with him.
"I know from many other players who have played for coach Bruce Arians, they all told me I'm going to love playing for him," Gronkowski said. "That's great to hear, and I'm looking forward to that. I'm looking forward to meeting him in person. I've actually only talked to him for about a quick minute, just a quick meet and greet over the phone. I'm just super excited to meet him and super excited to play for him and the Tampa Bay organization and see what it's all about.
"I really can't compare them, coach Belichick and coach Arians, I haven't played under coach Arians yet, but I've heard he's a football master also, and I love being around football masters when I'm in the building. I love to learn from football masters. Coach Belichick definitely was a football master and it was an honor to learn from him. It's going to be cool now to go with coach Arians and learn from another coach who has a lot of background in the game of football."
Gronkowski retired from the Patriots in March of 2019, and his last game was New England's win over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. Learning a new offense with a new coach and teammates will be a challenge, but it certainly helps that Gronkowski already has a tremendous chemistry with Brady.