Rob Gronkowski is obviously careful with his money. The former NFL star hasn’t spent a cent of his earned base salary.

Rob Gronkowski hasn’t spent a cent of his NFL salary.

The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end revealed this on the podcast “Bussin’ With the Boys.” According to the podcast, ‘Gronk’ had planned from the beginning to never spend any of his NFL salary. And he has stuck to that plan so far.

“Theoretically, it’s true. I’m very frugal and lived with a roommate for the first few years. I also didn’t know how long I would be an NFL player. I was a second-round pick and had a four-year contract worth four million US dollars. I thought if I used that right, I’d be set for life,” said the four-time Super Bowl champion.

Gronk hasn’t spent a single PENNY of his NFL earnings pic.twitter.com/ULbwlKXIp1

— Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) May 20, 2025

The 36-year-old continued: “My idea was that if I played for three or four years, I’d be fine. And if I wasn’t the top player I thought I was, that would be okay too, and I’d have a safety net for life. Because having at least two million in the bank was enough for me at the time.”

Gronkowski lived off money outside the NFL

How did he manage not to touch the money he earned in the NFL? It’s simple, as “Gronk” explained: “I just used the money I earned outside the NFL. And that was more than enough. I spent that money on whatever I wanted. But to this day, I haven’t touched my base salary from the NFL.”

Gronkowski earned around $70 million from his NFL contracts. The current NFL expert is a rare role model when it comes to managing his savings.

According to a 2009 report by Sports Illustrated, around 78 percent of former NFL players faced financial ruin in the first two years after their careers ended. Even in 2023, this was still true for 30 percent.

Gronkowski ended his NFL career in 2021. He earned good money on the side through various commercial jobs and appearances, such as on WWE and as an expert on US television.