Sports
Rob Gronkowski to Be Inducted into Patriots Hall of Fame
The legendary tight end will be honored at a free ceremony at Patriot Place Plaza on Saturday, though owner Robert Kraft will miss the event while recovering from back surgery.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. â Rob Gronkowski, one of the most iconic players in New England Patriots history, will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame on Saturday. The ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. on the Patriot Place Plaza outside Gillette Stadium and is free and open to the public. Fans are encouraged to attend and celebrate the former tight end, whose induction will also be streamed live on the Patriots website and social media accounts.
Gronkowski was voted into the team's hall by fans in April. He becomes the 38th inductee and the fourth consecutive player with at least three Super Bowl championships with the Patriots to enter the Hall, following wide receiver Julian Edelman in 2025, quarterback Tom Brady in 2024 and linebacker and current head coach Mike Vrabel in 2023.
Selected in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Arizona, Gronkowski played nine seasons with New England from 2010 to 2018. He recorded 521 receptions for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns in the regular season, adding 81 catches for 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns in the postseason. His 80 total touchdowns (79 receiving, one rushing) rank first in Patriots history, while his 7,861 receiving yards rank second.
Gronkowski first retired in March 2019 but returned 13 months later to reunite with Brady in Tampa Bay, where he played two seasons for the Buccaneers and won his fourth Super Bowl title in 2021 before retiring again after the 2022 season. Last November, he signed a one-day contract with New England to retire as a Patriot.
"This means a lot to me â big time," Gronkowski said at the time. "I'm a New England Patriot, I'm a Patriot for life. My career started here, it had to end here, no doubt. Everything I established about my football career began here. It was an absolute no brainer to come here and retire as a Patriot."
The weekend will also feature a 10th anniversary reunion of the 2016 team that won Super Bowl LI. Members of that squad will attend Gronkowski's ceremony on Saturday and be introduced before New England's home game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, when Gronkowski will also be recognized during a halftime celebration.
Team owner Robert Kraft, 85, will miss both the induction and Sunday's game as he recovers from back surgery. His absence underscores a bittersweet moment for a franchise celebrating one of its most beloved players while its longtime leader recuperates.
For fans in the region, the free event offers a rare chance to honor a player whose combination of dominance and personality made him a cultural touchstone beyond the football field. Gronkowski's induction cements a legacy built on championships, record-setting production and a lasting bond with the community that cheered him for nearly a decade.