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Rob Gronkowski is retiring, again. ... The future Hall of Fame tight end announced Tuesday he is walking away from football after 11 seasons.

Gronkowski, 32, announced his retirement Tuesday via social media.

"I want to thank the whole entire first class Buccaneers organization for an amazing ride, trusting me to come back to play and help build a championship team. I will now be going back into my retirement home, walking away from football again with my head held high knowing I gave it everything I had, good or bad, every time I stepped out on the field," Gronkowski said in his statement.

"The friendships and relationships I have made will last forever, and I appreciate every single one of my teammates and coaches for giving everything they had as well. From retirement, back to football and winning another championship and now back to chilling out, thank you to all."

Gronk previously retired in 2019 after nine years with the New England Patriots but returned to join Tom Brady in Tampa Bay for another run at a Super Bowl in 2020.

As NFL.com notes, Gronkowski leaves football as arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history. In 11 seasons, he compiled 621 catches, 9,286 yards, and 92 TDs. During his Patriots heyday, Gronk was a monster as both a blocker and pass-catcher, compiling four seasons of 1,000-plus yards and five double-digit touchdowns campaigns. He won four Super Bowls, was named to the All-Pro team four times, and was selected to the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

At his peak, Gronk was an unstoppable force when healthy.

After returning to football in 2020, he helped the Bucs win Super Bowl LV, playing all 16 regular-season games. In 2021 he looked fully back to form and was a force with Brady, netting 55 catches for 802 yards and six TDs in just 12 games last season.

Tampa had been leaving the door open to Gronk returning this season to chase another Lombardi. Instead, the party animal chose to walk away at 33 years old. The decision leaves the Bucs with Cameron Brate and rookies Cade Otton and Ko Kieft atop their TE depth chart.

Of course, there is always the chance that Brady calls up Gronk during the season to unretire once again.

"This is just my opinion but I wouldn't be surprised if Rob comes back during the season or next season," Gronkowski's agent Drew Rosenhaus said after the announcement, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. "It would not surprise me if Tom Brady calls him during the season to come back and Rob answers the call. Just my opinion."

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers allowed former first-round pick O.J. Howard to move on to Buffalo as a free agent this offseason, leaving the team with veteran Cameron Brate and incoming rookies Cade Otton (fourth round) and Ko Kieft (sixth round) as the top options at the position currently on the roster.. They also have Codey McElroy, but he has only one career catch.

They could add a veteran free agent to the mix. ESPN's Mike Clay points to veterans like Eric Ebron, Jared Cook, Kyle Rudolph or Jimmy Graham as possible options.

For now, Brate is the player to watch.

Per 4for4.com's John Daigle, Brate ran a route on 65 percent of dropbacks in five starts without Gronk last year.