Injury update: Rob Gronkowski’s thigh injury suffered in Super Bowl 53 not expected to be a long-term issue

Throughout the 2018 season, the New England Patriots were one of the healthiest teams in the NFL — a trend that partially continued in Super Bowl 53. While the team lost defensive captain Patrick Chung to a broken arm in the third quarter, it dodged a bullet earlier in the game: tight end Rob Gronkowski limped off the field following after taking a shot to his thigh on the Patriots’ first field goal drive of the day, early in the second quarter.

The 29-year old was able to return to the game and ultimately finished with a 100% playing time share as well as some key plays, but the extent of his injury became clear after the contest. “It hurts a lot. I can barely walk right now,” Gronkowski said about the injury immediately after the Patriots’ 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. “Adrenaline is flowing throughout the game — it’s the Super Bowl.”

“I’ve had had these quad shots about four times now. Probably won’t be able to walk that good tomorrow. But it’s all good. We’re Super Bowl champs,” he continued. In the week after the game, Gronkowski appeared on NBC’s Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and revealed that he was originally scheduled to come on the show on the day after the title game but that his injury prevented the appearance from happening.

“I was too bruised up. I took a quad shot [...] and it hurt. Those ones, the next day, they are brutal,” he said two days after he was originally scheduled to visit. Earlier today, NFL Network’s Mike Giardi added some more information to what was already available via Gronkowski himself. According to Giardi, the tight end’s thigh required special treatment and fluid had to be drained from it. He also added that the injury is not expected to be a long-term issue.

Gronkowski, who reportedly told his teammates that he wants to win another Super Bowl, was a regular at Gillette Stadium in the days after the Super Bowl, possibly to get treatment on his thigh. And while neither story should be seen as a definitive indicator about his plans — the future Hall of Famer is once again mulling retirement — both in combination with the short-term nature of the thigh issue could be interpreted as a positive.