The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... Gronkowski only caught one pass in the Divisional Round win over the Chargers. The play came just hours after a report that Gronkowski may once again mull retirement this offseason, with expectations that he may truly step away from the game. After the game, the 29-year-old was asked if he'd considered the possibility that Sunday could be his last game in front of home fans. He largely dodged the question about retirement, saying that no such special significant weighed on his mind. "No, I mean, I was focused on L.A. the whole game and it's gonna be the same thing this week," Gronkowski said. "I'm all in now. We've got the Kansas City Chiefs now. We've got another week of preparation and I haven't thought of anything like that. So just gotta go all in, keep our focus and keep on doing what we've gotta do. I gotta keep on doing what I've gotta do to help this team out to win next week."
Diehards Line:
Despite the looming speculation that he's mulling the end of his NFL career, Gronkowski was upbeat as he addressed the media Sunday. He expressed excitement over his contributions in the run game. He cast off any concerns over his lack of production in the passing game (or as he put it, "all that reception stuff") and reflected on the huge rise he did get on his long catch-and-run during the game. Gronkowski finished with one catch for 25 yards Sunday and drew a significant pass interference penalty on the opening drive of the game. We'll see if "all that reception stuff" comes back against a Chiefs defense that ranked toward the bottom of the league defensively this season. And after that, we'll see what Gronk's future holds.