Rob Gronkowski remains stunned that Bill Belichick wasn't hired for HC job

"[Belichick is] there to coach the game of football. He's not there to do NIL deals. He's not there to kiss and take pictures with babies," Gronkowski said. "He's there to win football games. So, it's very surprising that he does not have a head-coaching job. There's no doubt about that."

The five-time Pro Bowler added that he could see Belichick wanting to take one year off from coaching.

"So, the interviews were like maybe 'Hey, I'm only going to take the job if I really feel like I want that job. If not, I could take a year off and then come back. There's going to be more openings like there is every single year," Gronkowski said. "I mean, there's five coaches fired after the season every year, so there's going to be an opening somewhere, but it is a little surprising."

As "Gronk" mentioned, he and former longtime teammate Julian Edelman discussed Belichick missing out on the NFL's eight head-coaching vacancies in early February, ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.

The 72-year-old led both players to three Super Bowl victories during their NFL careers.

Belichick and New England mutually agreed to part ways in mid-January.

The three-time AP Coach of the Year ended his Patriots tenure with a regular-season record of 266-121 in 24 seasons and a 30-12 mark in the playoffs (6-3 in the Super Bowl). However, Belichick went just 29-38 after Gronkowski and quarterback Tom Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 campaign.

The 2023 season was Belichick's worst with the Patriots.

New England missed the playoffs for the second straight year and finished in last place in the AFC East at 4-13, its worst record since 2000. That was Belichick's first year at the helm, and Brady was a rookie, still one season away from taking over as the starting quarterback.