Rob Gronkowski’s day of flag football is apparently over.
After catching a two-point conversion from former teammate Tom Brady to cap the opening drive for the Founders against the U.S. men’s national team, Gronk pulled a hamstring while getting up.
He later said in an interview with the Fox broadcast that he’s done for the day.
Gronk caught multiple passes on the scoring drive.
The Founders will now have to get it done without him. And even though Gronkowski currently isn’t on loan from an NFL team, it’s a reminder that the active NFL players have assumed the risk of an injury that can throw a wrench into their offseason training.
Odell Beckham Jr. last played in an NFL game on December 8, 2024. He’s still hoping to return.
In advance of Saturday’s inaugural Fanatics Flag Football Classic, Beckham said he hopes the event will be the springboard for another NFL opportunity.
“Looking forward to hopefully getting an opportunity to play this year, and hopefully, this is kinda just a starting point,” Beckham told Kay Adams in an interview, via USA Today.
Beckham added that he’d welcome the possibility to return to the Giants.
During the opening game against the U.S. men’s national team, Beckham made an impressive one-handed catch of the smaller-than-regulation ball in the end zone for a two-point conversion.
A first-round pick of the Giants in 2014, Beckham has played for the Browns, Rams, Ravens, and Dolphins. He has five 1,000-yard seasons, and he was a two-time Pro Bowler.
No team has shown serious interest in Beckham since the Dolphins released him late in the 2024 season.
A pair of longtime Vikings returned to the team’s facility on Friday to sign one-day retirement contracts.
Receiver Adam Thielen and fullback C.J. Ham are now officially Vikings for life.
Thielen, a Minnesota native who played at Minnesota State University in Mankato (where the Vikings used to conduct training camp), earned his spot on the team as an undrafted tryout player in 2013. He wasn’t even invited to the Scouting Combine.
By 2014, he had a roster spot. (That year, he blocked a punt against the Panthers and returned it for a touchdown.) By 2016, he had nearly 1,000 receiving yards. The following year, he made the Pro Bowl and landed on the All-Pro second team.
In 2018, he started the season with eight straight 100-yard receiving games, matching Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson’s record.
Thielen left for the Panthers in 2023 as a free agent. In 2025, the Panthers traded him back to the Vikings. He eventually asked for his release, so that he could sign with a contender. He finished his career with the Steelers.
Ham, also a Minnesota native, was undrafted in 2016. He played college football at Augustana, in South Dakota. Ham caught the eye of former Vikings assistant Kevin Stefanski at the University of Minnesota’s pro day workout.
“I’m putting the Gophers running backs through some individual drills,” Stefanski told Vikings.com, “and there’s one kid who’s just staring me right in the eyes, doing it exactly how it needs to be done, doing it with maximum effort. And I said, ‘Who’s that kid?'"
It got Ham an invitation to the Vikings’ rookie minicamp and, like Thielen, Ham earned his spot.
He spent 10 years with the Vikings. He arrived as a running back; in 2017, he moved to fullback at the urging of former Vikings running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu.
“I told him, ‘I’ve been blessed to coach guys who played 10 years or more,’ ” Polamalu told Vikings.com. “He looked at me and said, ’10 years?’ ‘Yep. But you’ve gotta promise me now, if I move you, you’ve gotta give me 10 years.’”
He did. At a time when so much attention will be paid to the names landing in round one of the various mock drafts, it’s important to remember two things.
Plenty of those guys won’t last. And some of the guys no one is talking about will.
Thielen and Ham are two clear examples of that.
Wide receiver DJ Chark announced his retirement on Friday.
Chark has not played in the NFL since 2024, remaining a free agent all of the 2025 season after the Falcons released him during training camp.
“After much contemplation, I have decided to share a proper farewell as I navigate retirement,” Chark wrote on social media.
“My journey began at the age of 7 when I signed up for football, unaware of the profound impact it would have on my life. I simply loved the sport and had the unwavering support of my parents. Years later, I received the support of my wife, kids, family and thousands of fans!
“As I write this I reflect on the challenges I’ve faced and overcome, as well as the rewards I’ve reaped. I’ve learned to appreciate every experience and not take any of them for granted. As I enter this next chapter of my life, I remain committed to being an active pillar in my community, empowering the youth through charitable work.”
Chark played four seasons with the Jaguars after they made him a second-round pick in 2018. He also played with the Lions, Panthers and Chargers.
He finishes his career with 216 receptions for 3,100 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Chark made his only Pro Bowl in 2019 in his only season with 1,000 yards.
Free agent defensive tackle Christian Wilkins did not play last season. He intends to play in 2026.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Wilkins continues to rehab his foot injury from 2024 but has heard from 26 teams about interest.
“Wilkins is expected to have a new home as soon as he wants,” Schefter wrote on social media.
Wilkins, 30, played only five games in 2024 because of a Jones fracture in his left foot. The Raiders voided the remainder of his $35.2 million in guaranteed money on his contract and cut him last July reportedly for how he treated his rehab.
An incident involving a teammate reportedly may also have played a factor.
Wilkins missed only two games in his first five seasons before landing in Las Vegas. He has totaled 372 tackles, 22.5 sacks and 56 quarterback hits since the Dolphins made him a first-round pick.
Wilkins, who signed a four-year, $110 million deal with the Raiders in free agency in 2024, now is faced with having to prove it again.
