Ahead of the launch of ‘Gronk’s 30 Day Tryout‘: a new promotion from his partner brand DNA Vibe; a regenerative wearable technology that aids recovery and boasts ambassadors such as three-time Super Bowl champion QB Patrick Mahomes and soccer superstar Erling Haaland, Rob Gronkowski sat down for an exclusive interview with Heavy Sports.
After Julian Edelman perhaps controversially referred to former New England Patriots tight end and future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski as “Rain Man” – the near-super intelligent fictional character on the autistic spectrum from the film of the same name, the now-Fox analyst has a character comparison of his own for his teammate of almost a decade.
“The Energizer Bunny”, Gronkowski said. “Julian’s just always ready to go, always energized and always bouncing off the walls, especially on our playing day.”
Unsurprisingly, his parallel for Tom Brady was Superman.
Gronkowski famously un-retired in 2020; having previously done so back in 2018; in order to embark alongside Brady on their Tampa Bay adventure in South Florida. One that yielded the now-37 year old his fourth and final Super Bowl ring.
“I would say, just how much of a laid back atmosphere it was compared to being in New England.” Gronk said, in response to how the vibe shifted moving from the Bill Belichick-run Patriots to the Bruce Arians-led Buccaneers.
“[It] was more of like a country club compared to being in New England so I wasn’t expecting that at the level that it was, but I appreciated it. And we still worked hard. It’s just that the air, you know, was a lot more breathable in Tampa. A lot more room for mistakes down in Tampa than I felt like it was being up in New England.
Gronkowski Bullish on Drake Maye After Prior Words of Advice
Gronkowski commented back in early October that Maye needed to get out of his own head and build some confidence up after a tough start to the season. However, after going 4-1 in the past five games; a stretch that’s seen him put up 1,389 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, 2 interceptions for a 122.2 passer rating; there is no more doubt in Gronk’s – or indeed Maye’s mind.
“I think this is the Drake Maye that is here to stay. It’s the one that we just saw over the last 2 weeks. He’s playing at a high level once again: he can decipher defenses, he’s getting the ball to the open receiver or running back out of the backfield. He’s making the check-downs that he needs to. This is the type of play that the New England Patriots need to have another run.”
Gronk also played down the young signal caller’s tough run to start the season, during which Maye threw only one touchdown and six interceptions in the first three games of the year.
“I think those 2-3 weeks; that fluke just happens and it just shows his mental toughness to get out of that. And I would say it was due to a team effort: the receivers weren’t getting open, the offensive line – they were deteriorated. They weren’t helping out at all either. Just everything was going wrong in that 2-3 week slide where nothing was clicking.”
“But [this version of] Drake Maye is here to stay and he’s going to continue it and keep getting better. Yes, there’s going to be blunders where you get knocked down on some weeks, but he’s going to stay on top of his game from here on out, I feel like.”
Gronk went as far as to argue that Maye is a bona fide candidate for the highest individual achievement in the league.
“I do see Drake Maye as a realistic MVP candidate. Like, how can you count him out?” Gronkowski posited.
“At any time, if you can just have a 4-5-6 game, you know, explosion, you know, he can be right in the mix. It’s not about how you start. It’s all about how you finish. And at any time, he can turn it up. So I definitely see him being a realistic candidate. It’s just, hey, can he be consistent to be that candidate at the end like last year?”
Gronkowski Shares Thoughts on Possible Patriots Trades
Whilst the Patriots have been linked with a move for the Indianapolis Colts‘ Josh Downs – along with half of the league – Gronkowski pointed to another position as the bigger need for the team, although he was open to the idea of the team adding a “support” wideout to complement A.J. Brown.
“I would either go with an offensive lineman or a wide receiver.” Gronk replied. “They’re very set on defense. They’re playing at a high level… I would say if they even do make a trade; they don’t need to go get a number one, they just go get a support system at the wide receiver position is all I see if they go. Or support the offensive line with a trade for offensive linemen. It’s one of those two if they even do make a trade.”
Gronkowski also confirmed that it will be Robert Kraft who will present him as he enters the New England Patriots Hall of Fame on November 7, dfespi
“I’m excited, RKK [Kraft] rightfully so, one of the best owners of all time in the NFL. The Patriots organization wouldn’t be where it’s at without him. So it makes total sense for RKK to present the inductee every single year.”
Rob Gronkowski Clears Up Lions Almost-Trade Controversy
One of the more viral moments of Gronk’s non-playing career was when the four-time All-Pro shared on Fox back in 2020 – a few months prior to him un-retiring and reuniting with Tom Brady – that he was almost traded to the Detroit Lions back in the 2018 offseason.
But by pretending he was already retired (he retired for the first time one season and a third Lombardi Trophy later), Gronk claimed he managed to nix the move and stay on the Patriots.
At the time many saw that as a dig to the Lions, who in the pre-Dan Campbell era had been seen as a permanently dysfunctional franchise around the league.
“The trade in Detroit, it really wasn’t because I was going to Detroit.” Gronk clarified.
“It’s just I just didn’t want to get traded at all. So therefore it became a big story that it was Detroit, but that wasn’t the reasoning. It was just because I was getting traded. So it just made it seem like I declined the trade because it was Detroit. But overall, I just wanted to stay in New England.”
Gronkowski also labelled two further franchises that he, or a young up-and-coming offensive player would want to be traded to; and in doing so no doubt made former head coach Belichick very happy.
“Probably the Jets.” Gronk said, before adding a surprise compliment to his former division rivals.
“I would say Miami if you’re trying to win a championship in the next year or two. But Miami, I really like their coaching staff and what their head coach is doing. They’re competing big time, even with the roster that they have. It just shows that they got good coaching down there. He’s doing a good job so far with what he’s working with.”
“Tennessee would [also] be a place. I would say between Tennessee and the Jets, I wouldn’t want to go to either one of those teams.”
Gronkowski Speaks on New Partnership with DNA Vibe
The four-time Super Bowl champion experienced his share of injuries and pain during his 11 years in the pros, and working with DNA Vibe – a partnership that launched publicly back in August – Gronk explains how the product has improved his recovery and the way his body feels.
“With DNA Vibe it’s just helping me live a pain-free life. It speeds up the natural healing process of my body. Perry [Kamel, founder and CEO of DNA Vibe] knows all the technology behind the DNA Vibe Jazz Band. I use it. It works. It takes away my bumps and my bruises and the pain that I sustain or the soreness that I have…This just helps out the recovery process to get you back to 100% and helps you be pain-free.”
Kamel also spoke to Heavy about how the DNA Vibe technology works; both for athletes and regular people – even if it is just “grandparents who want to play with their grandkids.”
“The idea is very simple, we can ‘tickle’ the structures involved in our regenerative process. I call it tickling them with low levels of energy so that they kind of almost expand our regenerative capacity.” Kamel said.
“The regenerative process is how we heal from any issue. Your body’s constantly rebuilding healthy tissue to replace damaged tissue, and it’s done through the DNA-driven regenerative process. So if we can literally work in harmony with the body’s natural process, then we can help it do that more efficiently.”
In the coming days, the site will also have an AI avatar of Gronk that consumers – and indeed the man himself will be able to interact with.
“I think I’ll definitely be using it and seeing how the AI stacks up to the real Gronk.”
This interview was arranged by DNA Vibe, which also provided the author with a complimentary device.
Exclusive: Rob Gronkowski Believes Revived Drake Maye is a True MVP Contender