{"id":38803,"date":"2025-05-10T10:31:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T10:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/38803\/"},"modified":"2025-05-10T10:31:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-10T10:31:13","slug":"rob-gronkowski-reveals-dramatic-new-england-patriots-decision-which-had-knock-on-effect-for-fox-nfl-sunday-colleague","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/38803\/","title":{"rendered":"Rob Gronkowski reveals dramatic New England Patriots decision which had knock-on effect for Fox NFL Sunday colleague"},"content":{"rendered":"

NFL icon Rob Gronkowski has revealed that his career could have gone in a completely different direction if not for a late draft trade.<\/p>\n

Gronkowki, 35, won four Super Bowls in a career that saw him strike up a unbeatable partnership with Tom Brady<\/a> and put himself in the conversation for the title of greatest tight end of all time.<\/p>\n

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Rob Gronkowski has revealed the major decision that almost saw him miss out on playing for the New England PatriotsCredit: Getty\"Rob<\/a><\/p>\n

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Grokowski spent eight years playing for the PatriotsCredit: Getty<\/p>\n

Gronk was drafted by Bill Belicheck’s New England Patriots<\/a> as the 42nd overall pick in the 2010 NFL<\/a> Draft – going on to spend eight years with the Patriots and winning three of his four Super Bowls with the franchise.<\/p>\n

But that almost didn’t happen, after Gronkowksi revealed that the Baltimore Ravens<\/a> were actually planning to take him as the 25th overall pick, until a last minute trade stopped the move.<\/p>\n

Speaking on his Dudes on Dudes podcast<\/a>, he said: “The Baltimore Ravens were gonna pick me, I think it was around the 25th pick that they had in the draft.<\/p>\n

“And I\u2019m not 100 per cent accurate, but I\u2019ve heard through the grapevine that they were going to grab me with the 25th pick.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut then Denver [Broncos]<\/a> and Josh McDaniels [Broncos head coach at the time] came scooping in and traded with the Baltimore Ravens at the 25th pick, which put the Ravens at the 43rd pick. <\/p>\n

“So I just got booted out of the first round. [The Ravens] felt like \u2018Hey, we were the only ones gonna draft him in the first round, we could possibly get him in the second.’ <\/p>\n

“And the Patriots got a sniff of it and they traded up one spot before the Baltimore Ravens at No. 42 where I got drafted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Had Gronkowski<\/a> been taken by the Ravens then we would have never been able to enjoy one of the greatest partnerships in NFL history.<\/p>\n

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‘That’s what makes him so great’<\/p>\n

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New England Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski says Tom Brady’s greatness is down to consistency.<\/p>\n

Brady <\/a>continued playing until he was 45, leaving many people asking what was the secret to his longevity – and his longtime friend has the answer.<\/a><\/p>\n

“You really don’t see that anymore in this generation, he really practices what he preaches,” Gronk told former teammate Julian Edelman, 38, on the Games with Names podcast.<\/p>\n

“There are no and, ifs, or buts about Tom Brady being Tom Brady.<\/p>\n

“What he puts out there, what he preaches, he practices it.<\/p>\n

“There’s no doubt about it. There are a lot of people out there on social media, or at a lecture, they’re reminiscing about, ‘This is what you gotta do to be great, this is what you gotta do to be successful.’<\/p>\n

“Well Tom Brady does what he says on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

“He takes care of his body, he takes care of his mind, he competes, and that’s what makes him so great.”<\/p>\n

Gronk’s relationship with quarterback Tom Brady, 47, was the foundation of the Patriots’ dynasty under Belicheck<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The dynamic duo, who now work alongside each other on Fox NFL Sunday<\/a>, combined for an impressive 98 touchdowns throughout their NFL careers.<\/p>\n

Tom Brady hits Rob Gronkowski for ‘electric’ reception on Fox NFL Sunday as former teammates reunite on live TV <\/p>\n

While Gronkowski made 620 receptions from Brady across 141 games over 11 seasons for both the Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It’s impossible to know what might have happened had Brady and Gronkowski not played together, but it’s fair to say that it would have had a huge impact on both of their careers.<\/p>\n

And it’s not just Fox colleague Brady that could have had a huge knock-on effect from the trade, but also fellow Fox on-screen talent Greg Olsen.<\/p>\n

Gronkowski revealed that tight end Olsen was going to be traded to the Patriots from the Chicago Bears had New England been unable to draft Gronk with the 42nd pick.<\/p>\n

He added: “I also heard through a grapevine, that if I didn\u2019t get drafted to the New England Patriots, Greg Olsen was going to get traded that day for a draft pick to the New England Patriots.<\/p>\n

“Because the Patriots were looking for a tight end”.<\/p>\n

That could have had a huge knock-on effect on Olsen’s career, who despite being a three-time Pro Bowler, never managed to win the Super Bowl<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Had Olsen moved to the Patriots and played alongside Brady, it could have been him that managed to win four rings instead.<\/p>\n

Olsen, who is another regular on Fox NFL Sunday<\/a>, ultimately left the Bears in 2011, going on to shine with the Carolina Panthers<\/a> before retiring as a Seattle Seahawk.<\/p>\n

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Fox Sports’ Greg Olsen’s career could have gone in a completely different direction had he been traded to the New England PatriotsCredit: Getty\"Tom<\/a><\/p>\n

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Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are now colleagues on Fox NFL Sunday tooCredit: INSTAGRAM @tombrady\"Tom<\/a><\/p>\n

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The duo won four Super Bowls together as playersCredit: Getty