Rob Gronkowski

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski confirmed on Sunday night that he threatened to retire in April when he got word that the Lions were trying to acquire him in a trade.

Asked after the Patriots lost to the Lions about the report that he put the kibosh on a trade between the two teams, Gronkowski confirmed that he did.

“Yeah, it happened,” Gronkowski said.

Gronk said he only wants to play for QB Tom Brady. Although he’s only 29 years old, Gronkowski has indicated that he won’t play in the NFL much longer. And he apparently won’t play at all without Brady. So he has effectively blocked the Patriots from trading him by saying that if he does get traded, he won’t show up to the team that acquires him.