Karen Guregian: What’s it like to spend an hour with Rob Gronkowski at the Super Bowl?

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Karen Guregian: What’s it like to spend an hour with Rob Gronkowski at the Super Bowl?

Karen Guregian · MassLive

Thu, Feb 5, 2026 ·

6 min read

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Karen Guregian’s football analysis is sponsored by Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers , a Leading Boston Personal Injury Firm.

SAN FRANCISCO - The Patriots are in the Super Bowl, and Rob Gronkowski is a wanted man.

Every outlet on Radio Row and beyond wants his time, his Super Bowl takes, and mostly, his wild and crazy sense of humor.

On Wednesday, he had about a dozen appearances, and then some, jam-packed into a short window of time.

To make it work, a mob of handlers and PR types whisk Gronk around Radio Row’s massive event space, which is situated on the first floor of the Moscone Center downtown.

It’s like watching the President with the Secret Service in tow.

I was lucky enough to spend an hour with him in the middle of that chaos, otherwise known as Gronk’s post-football life.

Before meeting up with him, the former Patriots great had already been on the Good Morning America set at 5 a.m. At 6:30, he was with the NFL Network and Good Morning Football .

After that, it was SiriusXM NFL Radio, Front Office Sports , and USA Today.

I joined him shortly after watching his appearance on Up & Adams with Kay Adams .

During the stint with Adams on the FanDuel set, he helped interview WWE champ CM Punk. They debated which event had more “electricity” - the Super Bowl or WrestleMania.

Gronk, who cracked that he sleeps with his WrestleMania championship belt every night, chose the latter. Punk then showed Adams how to put Gronk in a stranglehold .

Onlookers of the set were cracking up at the scene. Like many Gronk skits, it was hysterical.

“He really knows how to turn it on when the camera’s on,” said Sam Berson, who works with FanDuel’s talent and partnerships.

After that stop, Gronk did a few interviews behind the FanDuel set on Radio Row.

Naturally, people wanted to ask him about Super Bowl 49 when the Patriots beat the Seahawks . Gronk was happy to recall his 22-yard touchdown from Tom Brady , his first ever in a Super Bowl.

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He remembered the play like it was yesterday, as opposed to a dozen years ago.

“I spread out wide, 1-on-1 versus K.J. Wright , a very solid linebacker at the time,” Gronkowski said. “It was a fade route. I caught that to score a touchdown before the half.”

After handling several of those unscheduled sessions — Jermaine Wiggins also recruited him to visit WEEI — Gronk headed off for a visit with Cam Newton on his 4th&1 podcast . At this point, it’s 9:15 and Gronk still hasn’t had a cup of coffee.

Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and quarterback Cam Newton .Karen Guregian

Newton, who hasn’t endeared himself to New England fans with his critiques of Drake Maye and the team, asked a variety of questions.

It wasn’t long before he and Gronk discussed the Patriots being dissed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This really struck a nerve with Gronk. The former all-world tight end, who becomes eligible in 2027, had some strong words regarding Bill Belichick being snubbed.

“It ruins the system if he’s not a first ballot Hall of Famer,” Gronk said, his serious tone a stark contrast to the vibe he had with Adams. “How does a guy with that resume not get in on the first ballot?”

In all, Gronk bounced around from interview to interview for about five hours before leaving.

After the appearance with Newton, he wrapped up the day with the Rich Eisen Show on ESPN .

He was stopped countless times in between posing for photos and doing quick hits with reporters awaiting his arrival on each set. Gronk accommodated everyone.

He loves being America’s favorite guest.

“I like getting interviewed. It’s fun. It’s the time of the year where it’s a whirlwind. You gotta get it in,” Gronk told MassLive. “I got sponsorships. I’m not going to lie. They pay the bills. But I’m doing things I like to do, like raising awareness for health. I’m a health and wellness guy ... it’s part of my lifestyle, so it’s easy now.”

Gronk made appearances last week on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and the Today show , encouraging men to get screened for prostate cancer with Novartis, a simple blood test.

How does he manage, or even keep track of, all his appearances?

He’s on with Adams every Wednesday. He’s with FOX sports on their NFL Sunday and NFL Kickoff shows during the season. He does those every other week during the season and full-time in the playoffs.

And he makes appearances for his various sponsors and charities.

“It’s crazy, but it’s not too much at all,” he said. “It’s enough. I don’t want any more. It’s perfect for me. Talking football once a week, twice a week is perfect for me. The pregame show is great. Commentating would be way too much on my plate. I think that’s not for me. So I have the right amount.”

In November, Gronkowski signed a “one-day contract” and officially retired as a New England Patriot. Earlier in the year, he opened “Gronk Playground” at the Charles River Esplanade in Boston. The $1.5 million project was funded by his Gronk Nation Youth Foundation.

Before leaving, I had to ask him what it was like being Gronk.

“I would say it’s mayhem in action,” he said, flashing his goofy signature smile. “Like here, running all over the place. You gotta bring the juice in order to handle it. But it’s also relaxation. I really do appreciate my relaxation time, my downtime. I think that’s crucial.

“You gotta recover, and have the right mindset in order to come out and do everything at a high level and have so many people interviewing you and talking to you ... that’s why I don’t have more on my plate. Having that downtime makes me at full speed when the lights are on.”

He was certainly full throttle on Wednesday. He brought his ‘A’ game to every appearance.

Of course, with the Super Bowl just four days away, everyone wanted to know who he thought would win.

Gronk went with his former team and predicted the identical 28-24 score as the game he played against the Seahawks.

“I have to go with the Patriots. Are you kidding me? I have to go with the Patriots,” he said. “Tom (Brady) is all over the place with his predictions, but I love it. He’s keeping everyone guessing, but I’m going to say, if they win, it’s because of their strategic game-planning, playing great situational football, and not giving Seattle chances with turnovers.”

No doubt, that analysis was something he learned - and borrowed - from his Patriot days with Belichick.

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