Rob Gronkowski To Sign One-Day Contract, Retire With Patriots

Rob Gronkowski is finally getting around to filing his retirement papers -- the superstar tight end is signing a one-day contract with the New England Patriots to officially end his Hall of Fame career.

The organization confirmed the news Monday morning ... saying Gronk will sign an honorary deal to ride off into the sunset as a member of the Patriots.

Gronk is one of the greatest to ever play the position -- he had 621 catches for 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns over the course of 11 seasons ... nine in New England and two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He holds several position records ... including most touchdowns in a season (17), most 100-yard receiving games (32), most postseason TDs (12), and more.

Gronk won four Super Bowls in his career ... three with the Pats and one with Tom Brady in Tampa.

His last season was in 2021 ... but for some reason, he's waited until now to stick a fork in it.

The retirement means he's now starting the clock for his trip to Canton ... as he's as much of a lock for the Hall of Fame as you can get.