“Jerry Jones, if I make this kick, please give me a call and I will come back and unretire as a kicker,” Gronkowski said during Fox Sports’ Media Day on Tuesday.
From NFL plays to college sports scores, all the top sports news you need to know every day.
The future Pro Football Hall of Famer is poking fun at Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher, who missed a record-setting four extra point attempts in the Cowboys’ 31-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gronkowski’s former team.
‘Got to make this kick’: Rob Gronkowski anxiously prepares to make money for bettors
All jokes aside, Gronkowski said he has a “newfound respect for all the kickers,” including Maher, as he trains with Adam Vinatieri to follow in their literal footsteps.
“It’s a lot of discipline,” Gronkowski said. “I’ve always respected kickers and everything that they’ve done. The respect level has just gone to another degree on what they do. It’s kind of like art. It’s like a formula, it’s special what they can do.”
And for anyone at home that thinks they can easily kick a field goal, Gronkowski said it’s harder than it looks: “What’s wild is that when you put that ball down and look up, man, those goalposts look so thin. It’s like they are so close together.”
No matter how big the challenge (or how small the goalposts look), Gronkowski said he thinks he will sink the field goal, thanks to “over 15 hours of practicing to be a kicker.”
“I’m very, very average right now. I got two more training sessions before I do the kick on Sunday. But I think I got it. I think I got it under control. I get better with every single practice,” he said. “I got to hit it. It’s for America, man. $10 million dollars in free bets for America. I’m going to be disappointed in myself if I don’t make it.”
Gronkowski initially retired from the New England Patriots in 2019, but he reunited with Tom Brady on the Buccaneers in 2020 before leaving for a second time following the 2021 season. Don’t hold your breath for a third unretirement announcement.
Follow Cydney Henderson on Twitter @CydHenderson.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Jerry Jones… give me a call’: Rob Gronkowski says he’ll unretire if he makes Super Bowl field goal
