Former Madden NFL Cover Athlete Rob Gronkowski Announces His Retirement
On Sunday, an all-time great within the world of sports and sports video games officially announced his retirement. The New England Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski will call it quits and hang up his football cleats after nine seasons in the league. He’s a former Madden NFL cover athlete, who will most likely be a legend featured in future editions of the popular game.
Madden NFL pays tribute to cover star Rob Gronkowski
With Gronkowski’s big announcement (via his Instagram post) on Sunday came plenty of reactions all over social media. Since Rob Gronkowski has become a regular star within the Madden NFL football game, it’s only natural they paid tribute. They showed off the Madden NFL 17 cover which featured Rob Gronkowski looking ready to spike the ball, or maybe he just pulled off an impressive one-handed reception.
RESP87T #Gronk pic.twitter.com/GlWn1Hregz
— #WeAreMadden (@EAMaddenNFL) March 24, 2019
He spent the entirety of his NFL career with the New England Patriots, racking up 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns on 521 receptions. He even had a rushing play back in 2011 for two yards and a touchdown as part of his resume. Gronkowski was known for his height and athletic ability, which often posed major problems for the defenders covering him.
During his career, Gronk racked up four First-Team All-Pro and five Pro-Bowl selections. There’s also the Super Bowl rings. Gronk has achieved three of those during his nine years. Basically, he’ll go down in history amongst the most talented tight ends in the game. That made Gronk was a talented tight end in the Madden NFL game too.
Rob Gronkowski Madden NFL ratings history
Rob Gronkowski has been a player ratings stud in the popular football video game. In the Madden NFL 17 game, he had a number of high-rated cards. They included the 93 Out of Position MLB, 95 Ultimate Team Base Set, and 99 Ultimate Ticket cards. He had a slew of cards throughout the Madden 18 game as well. Those ranged from a 76 Power Up Tier 1 card through his 99 OVR NFL Replays card.
At Madden 19’s launch, Gronkowski was a member of the “99 Club” due to his 99 OVR player rating. He carried that rating all the way to Week 16 where he dropped to a 98, and then to a 97 OVR in Week 17. He’d finish the Pats’ championship season as a 97 OVR, which is still amongst the best for tight ends in the game.
It’s always fun to see how the player and gameplay have progressed. A YouTube video shows off Gronkowski from his college playing days in the old NCAA Football, all the way through his Madden NFL 18 days.
It’s definitely been a stellar career for Rob Gronkowski and now he’s likely to pursue other ventures. He’s been featured on a “Shark Tank” style entrepreneurial show, had cameo roles in movies, been in commercials, and now seems destined for other big things.
Who knows, maybe we’ll see Gronk participate in another Madden battle with an NFL star like he did before this year’s Super Bowl. Or he could start his own esports team or league. One thing’s for sure, a player like Gronk is unlikely to disappear completely from future editions of the Madden game.
What is your favorite Gronk memory or highlight? Get more of the latest news and information about the Madden NFL game here.