DETROIT -- After the game ended and the Lions pulled off the upset of the Patriots at Ford Field, Rob Gronkowski confirmed what had trickled around earlier in the day: that he was the target of a blockbuster trade the Lions tried to pull off with the Patriots this spring but that he threatened retirement if the team wanted to deal him.
"Yeah, it happened," Gronkowski told reporters in the Patriots locker room after Detroit's 26-10 win at Ford Field. "(Tom) Brady is my quarterback. I'm not going anywhere."
The report came Sunday from ESPN's Adam Schefter and specified that the Lions and Patriots came close on a trade that would have sent New England's All-Pro tight end to Detroit the week of the draft.