Rob Gronkowski has been notably frugal with the money earned from his time in the NFL.
The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end — nicknamed Gronk — recently appeared as a guest on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, where he addressed the long-standing rumor that he never spent any of the money he earned during his 11 seasons in the league.
Throughout his career, Gronkowski was known not only for his larger-than-life personality, but also for being one half of an iconic quarterback–tight end duo alongside Tom Brady. Over the course of his NFL career, he earned an estimated $72.5 million in contract money, according to TalkSport.
On Tuesday’s episode of the podcast, Gronkowski, 36, confirmed that he “technically” has not spent his NFL earnings — aside from the first $50,000 bonus he received from his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.
“You’ve got to pay him back over time, the first 50 grand you made,” the four-time Super Bowl champion explained. “I actually took that 50 grand and I bought me a car, I paid for my spot up in New England, actually, with it.”
Since then, Gronkowski said he has been “very frugal” throughout his playing career, even revealing that he lived with a roommate while in the NFL — a surprising admission given his public image as one of the league’s biggest personalities.
“I didn’t know how long the NFL was gonna last,” he said. “I was a second-round pick, so it was like a four-year, $4 million deal, and I was like, if I can play this contract out, I’ll be set for life.”
Gronkowski added that he relied entirely on income earned off the field — including endorsement deals — to cover his living expenses, allowing him to preserve his NFL salary.
“I just always wanted to save it, and I just used my money that I was getting off the field to spend it on whatever I needed,” he said. “Technically, I have not spent any of my NFL money.”
After retiring from football in 2022, Gronkowski pivoted to a broadcasting career, joining Fox Sports alongside Brady and fellow former Patriots teammate Julian Edelman.
In November, he also signed a one-day contract with the Patriots to officially retire as a member of the franchise that drafted him in 2010.
“This means a lot to me, big time, because I’m a New England Patriot,” Gronkowski said at the time. “My career started here, and 100 percent needed to end here. There’s no doubt about that.”
