Robert Kraft tries to entice Rob Gronkowski to suit up against Jets

Patriots owner Robert Kraft jokingly asked Rob Gronkowski if he wanted to play Thursday night against the Jets before the legendary tight end signed a one-day contract with New England to retire with the organization.

“Since we play the Jets tomorrow night, how about a two-day contract?” Kraft quipped during Gronkowski’s signing ceremony at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday.

“Let’s do it. What’s the signing bonus?” Gronkowski, 36, asked as reporters at the press conference laughed over the exchange.

“Nothing’s changed,” a smiling Kraft added.

New England improved to 8-2 on Sunday with a win over Tampa Bay in coach Mike Vrabel’s first season at the helm.

Kraft had already planned to sign Gronkowski to a one-day contract so that he could retire a Patriot when he was eligible for induction into the team’s Hall of Fame next year, and decided to expedite it, according to ESPN.

Gronkowski, who currently works as an analyst on Fox’s NFL Sunday pregame show, said he will “retire as a Patriot for life,” fulfilling the wish of a close friend, Susan Hurley, who died of cancer earlier this month.

“I like that a lot, and the reason that we’re really going to do that is because of Susan Hurley,” Gronkowski said of Kraft’s idea to retire him earlier.

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Gronkowski’s longtime girlfriend, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Camille Kostek, sat in the front row and posed for photos with the former NFL star and Kraft — closing a special chapter for the couple.

They met while she was a cheerleader for the Patriots in 2015.

Gronkowski, a second-round pick by the Patriots in 2010, spent the first nine seasons of his career with New England and won three Super Bowls. He was also named First-Team All-Pro four times.

He averaged 15.1 yards per reception and caught 79 touchdowns in 115 games with the Patriots.

Gronkowski retired after the 2018 season.

He returned to the NFL to reunite with quarterback Tom Brady for a final Super Bowl run with the Buccaneers in 2020 before retiring a second time in June 2022.

Gronkowski will become eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027.