Kraft should retire 87 there’s only 1 GOAT Tight End
November 10, 2025
Kraft should retire 87 there’s only 1 GOAT Tight End
40 comments
Don’t be rude to my boy Ben Coates
I mean if we’re really gonna honor gronk. Than the number to
Retire would be **69**
[deleted]
Ben Coates would like a word with you.
Many don’t remember Coates (and his patented push off!)
Agree.
His stats don’t even begin to show his dominance.
Best Tight End in the history of the NFL
personally i dont think we should let him retire, he is staying to win another super bowl with us
Make 87 to New England as 88 is to Dallas. Only those who deserve it at the TE position should wear it, and it should be approved.
Ben Coates and Rob Gronkowski paved the history for number 87, let them approve the next wearer.
I think it’s silly to retire a number. Make your own hall of fame or ring of honor or something like that. To retire a number so that no one else playing for the Patriots can use that number seems silly.
I kind of like taking the number out of circulation, but having a full, official retirement be for Brady and that’s it.
I agree but just like 9 on the Celtics only legends can have that number so idk about retiring the number
I think teams should approach this different. You only give 87 for stars te, 12 for stars qb etc.
Retired numbers are stupid
No. It’s just a number. Only Brady gets his number retired.
Statue=number retired.
All for it if they get him a statue!
I’m really against retiring numbers. Brady should be 1 of 1. Everyone else goes in the HOF.
Tony Gonzales called – He’d like to stop by later for a chat.
What’s your address?
I hate retiring numbers only because then you end with players wearing abstract numbers.
What should happen is when a player enters a teams hall of fame their number should be “reserved”, no rookies wear that number, you have to prove yourself as a key contributor to the team then those living members or their next of kin will approve it and the HC will too and you get it. I love Gronk, Jules, Tom, Mcginnest, Vrabel, Vinateri, all of them but records are meant to be broken an someday there more than likely will be a “better” player so let them wear it!
Did you have to choose a pic from this game? Seriously
Nah man, can’t be retiring numbers in football as much as I’d love to. There’s only so many numbers for players.
Should have required him to suit up and played one down.
Unpopular opinion but I’m not a fan of retiring numbers. If the number is some sacred cow to a franchise then they should limit it to specific players wearing it like LSU does
Plot twist: Kraft agrees to retire Gronks number, but Gronk refuses and wants to number 69 retired with his name instead
Retired numbers makes little sense in the NFL. You can get away with it for QBs, but for other positions, it’s better to install a reserved number for team leaders.
Like, only a top tier DB should be able to wear 24, a top tier LB can wear 55, a top tier TE can wear 87, etc.
Ben Coates is the original 87
I think the only other player’s number we could retire would be John Hannah the offensive guard GOAT
Nah, get him a statue. A big ol’ statue dragging defenders over the goal line would be my choice, but they’d pick him spiking the ball instead.
We also need an Edelman statue from the 2017 SB, use magnets to make the ball hover mid-air to replicate that catch.
BB deserves a statue too, of course.
He did dumb shit and messed with the fan base in Gronk fashion. I dont hold it against him as a player, but IMO he did negate the ability to have his number completely retired. IMO at most the number issuance should ho through an approval process.
Nahhhhh you people are too sensitive
No that needs to be Gronks call not Kraft. If rob wants people to wear it every Sunday they should do so as his legacy will be called upon every year. But if gronk wants it to be retired the legacy lives on in the rafters
Am i the only one that thinks retiring numbers is really fucking dumb
i generally think we shouldn’t retire numbers but when you have easily the greatest player of all time at his postion for 90% of his career you retire his number
12 is the only number that should be retired in club history,
It’s better when there is lineage of players that share a number like Ty law and Gilly, Bledsoe and Jules, Tedy and Hightower, Coates and Gronk, the list goes on.
Jack Westover has #87 right now.
Gronk is the best TE that has ever played. I’m not a Pats fan in the slightest. Was a gigantic weapon that could run a 4.4 and blocked like a an all pro lineman. You want to say Kelce or Gonzalez were better receivers, it’s arguable, same with Gates and Winslow. Gronk was the best complete TE and IMO the second best TE ever is George Kittle
Ben Coates
Gronk pioneered the TE position.
It’s tough to retire jerseys for football, with 53 players and only 100 numbers to pick from, cutting out numbers gets harder and harder. Dudes the best TE of all time, he deserves it but the idea with 88 in Dallas is interesting too
No, NFL shouldn’t teams shouldn’t retire numbers, roaster sizes are too large. Find better ways to honor your great players.
40 comments
Don’t be rude to my boy Ben Coates
I mean if we’re really gonna honor gronk. Than the number to
Retire would be **69**
[deleted]
Ben Coates would like a word with you.
Many don’t remember Coates (and his patented push off!)
Agree.
His stats don’t even begin to show his dominance.
Best Tight End in the history of the NFL
personally i dont think we should let him retire, he is staying to win another super bowl with us
Make 87 to New England as 88 is to Dallas. Only those who deserve it at the TE position should wear it, and it should be approved.
Ben Coates and Rob Gronkowski paved the history for number 87, let them approve the next wearer.
I think it’s silly to retire a number. Make your own hall of fame or ring of honor or something like that. To retire a number so that no one else playing for the Patriots can use that number seems silly.
I kind of like taking the number out of circulation, but having a full, official retirement be for Brady and that’s it.
I agree but just like 9 on the Celtics only legends can have that number so idk about retiring the number
I think teams should approach this different. You only give 87 for stars te, 12 for stars qb etc.
Retired numbers are stupid
No. It’s just a number. Only Brady gets his number retired.
Statue=number retired.
All for it if they get him a statue!
I’m really against retiring numbers. Brady should be 1 of 1. Everyone else goes in the HOF.
Tony Gonzales called – He’d like to stop by later for a chat.
What’s your address?
I hate retiring numbers only because then you end with players wearing abstract numbers.
What should happen is when a player enters a teams hall of fame their number should be “reserved”, no rookies wear that number, you have to prove yourself as a key contributor to the team then those living members or their next of kin will approve it and the HC will too and you get it. I love Gronk, Jules, Tom, Mcginnest, Vrabel, Vinateri, all of them but records are meant to be broken an someday there more than likely will be a “better” player so let them wear it!
Did you have to choose a pic from this game? Seriously
Nah man, can’t be retiring numbers in football as much as I’d love to. There’s only so many numbers for players.
Should have required him to suit up and played one down.
Unpopular opinion but I’m not a fan of retiring numbers. If the number is some sacred cow to a franchise then they should limit it to specific players wearing it like LSU does
Plot twist: Kraft agrees to retire Gronks number, but Gronk refuses and wants to number 69 retired with his name instead
Retired numbers makes little sense in the NFL. You can get away with it for QBs, but for other positions, it’s better to install a reserved number for team leaders.
Like, only a top tier DB should be able to wear 24, a top tier LB can wear 55, a top tier TE can wear 87, etc.
Ben Coates is the original 87
I think the only other player’s number we could retire would be John Hannah the offensive guard GOAT
Nah, get him a statue. A big ol’ statue dragging defenders over the goal line would be my choice, but they’d pick him spiking the ball instead.
We also need an Edelman statue from the 2017 SB, use magnets to make the ball hover mid-air to replicate that catch.
BB deserves a statue too, of course.
He did dumb shit and messed with the fan base in Gronk fashion. I dont hold it against him as a player, but IMO he did negate the ability to have his number completely retired. IMO at most the number issuance should ho through an approval process.
Nahhhhh you people are too sensitive
No that needs to be Gronks call not Kraft. If rob wants people to wear it every Sunday they should do so as his legacy will be called upon every year. But if gronk wants it to be retired the legacy lives on in the rafters
Am i the only one that thinks retiring numbers is really fucking dumb
i generally think we shouldn’t retire numbers but when you have easily the greatest player of all time at his postion for 90% of his career you retire his number
12 is the only number that should be retired in club history,
It’s better when there is lineage of players that share a number like Ty law and Gilly, Bledsoe and Jules, Tedy and Hightower, Coates and Gronk, the list goes on.
Jack Westover has #87 right now.
Gronk is the best TE that has ever played. I’m not a Pats fan in the slightest. Was a gigantic weapon that could run a 4.4 and blocked like a an all pro lineman. You want to say Kelce or Gonzalez were better receivers, it’s arguable, same with Gates and Winslow. Gronk was the best complete TE and IMO the second best TE ever is George Kittle
Ben Coates
Gronk pioneered the TE position.
It’s tough to retire jerseys for football, with 53 players and only 100 numbers to pick from, cutting out numbers gets harder and harder. Dudes the best TE of all time, he deserves it but the idea with 88 in Dallas is interesting too
No, NFL shouldn’t teams shouldn’t retire numbers, roaster sizes are too large. Find better ways to honor your great players.