FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Rob Gronkowski plans to sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the New England Patriots on Wednesday so he can "retire as a Patriot for life," fulfilling the wish of a close friend who died of cancer earlier this month.

Gronkowski, who played for the Patriots from 2010 to 2018 and was part of three Super Bowl championship teams before finishing his career and winning another Super Bowl title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020-2021, made the announcement Sunday as part of his work as a Fox Sports analyst.

The ceremonial contract was suggested by local philanthropist Susan Hurley, with whom Gronkowski developed a close friendship through his extensive charity work in New England. In August, when Gronkowski unveiled a new playground in Boston to which he donat

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