VALDOSTA – Rob Gronkowski, tight end for the New England Patriots, retires from the NFL after nine seasons.

Gronkowski announced on his Instagram account that he would be retiring from the game.

He played for the Arizona Wildcats in college and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round in 2010.

Gronk played his freshman and sophomore season with Arizona and racked up 1,197 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns.

His NFL stats are much more impressive as he has a total of 521 receptions with 7,891 yards receiving and 79 touchdowns. Gronk does have a rushing touchdown back in his second year in the NFL.

The Patriots are going to have a hard time replacing him. He was a big target for Tom Brady and got a lot of yards after reception.