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The energy in Foxborough, Massachusetts, is electric after the New England Patriots improved to 8-2 with a massive road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. New England now sits firmly atop the AFC East and is tied with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos for the best record in the conference — a remarkable feat considering it’s Mike Vrabel’s first year as head coach and Drake Maye’s second season as the team’s starting quarterback. Before the game, former Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski, who now works as an analyst for Fox Sports, made a special announcement on the network’s pregame show. Gronkowski revealed that he will be signing a one-day contract with New England this week to officially retire as a Patriot. "Here’s some news for everyone — I’m signing a one-day contract with the Patriots this week to retire as a Patriot and be a Patriot for life, just like all of you out here,” Gronkowski said. “So I’m going for the Patriots.” More NFL: Matthew Stafford Makes NFL History in Rams’ Win Over 49ers More NFL: NFL Legend Michael Strahan Doesn’t Hold Back on Lamar Jackson Incident On Monday, the Patriots confirmed the exciting news by announcing official details of Rob Gronkowski’s upcoming one-day contract and retirement ceremony with the team. Gronkowski — widely regarded as the greatest tight end in franchise history, and arguably in NFL history — will officially retire on Wednesday. The signing will take place at 12:15 p.m. ET and will be streamed live across all Patriots digital and social media platforms. “The greatest tight end in NFL history is retiring a Patriot,” the team posted. “Watch Rob Gronkowski sign his one-day contract this Wednesday at 12:15 PM LIVE on Patriots digital & social.” Fans had some strong reactions to the news on social media. "Greatest tight end of all-time and it isn’t close," a fan said. Someone else added: "This should be a public event." Another person wrote: "respect legend." "That’s the perfect way for Gronk to close it out. A legend finishing where it all began — feels just right," one more fan commented.
