Rob Gronkowski lands major new TV role with Fox ahead of new NFL season
Fox Sports and long-time football legend Johnson, 82, announced his retirement back in March after a long career spanning 60 years in and around the NFL.
Fans had been eager to see which analyst would step up and join Terry Bradshaw, Michael Strahan, Curt Menefee, and Howie Long for the NFL pre-game show.
Now, it's been confirmed that four-time Super Bowl champion Gronkowski has earned the call-up, after previously making a number of guest appearances on Fox.
The show is entering it's 32nd season and fans are keen to see how the former New England Patriots tight end adjust to the new role.
There had previously been rumors that Gronkowski was eyeing up a shock return to football - however the 36-year-old swiftly shut down those claims.
'Crazy bro,' Gronkowski told Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz . 'They must know something about me that I don't. I wish I still had those powers, because that would be cool if I did.'
Gronkowski retired from the NFL the first time in 2019 and came out of retirement to play with Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. Since then, Gronkowski has been a Fox Sports analyst.
The possibility of Gronkowski coming back to the NFL surfaced through DenverSports.com, which suggested he was interested in playing for the Broncos.
Meanwhile, Gronkowski's predecessor Johnson opted to retire back in February after an impressive career centered around the NFL.
Johnson spent over 30 years as a coach and front office exec in the league, before moving into the world of TV to spend another three decades with Fox.
He has been a staple of the network's football coverage, and hinted at his retirement last month at the Super Bowl when he burst into tears live on air following a tribute to his career.
The news was announced by Johnson himself on The Herd, as he told Colin Cowherd: 'I've made an extremely difficult decision.
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