Rob Gronkowski is loving Tom Brady's retirement era.
Take, for example, the former NFL quarterback's recent thirst trap—a selfie which showed a shirtless Brady modeling his Bradys. Though Gronk does have some critiques for his friend.
"He did a good job, his hand placement was a little iffy," Gronk—referencing Brady's strategic arm placement in the Feb. 6 snap—said in an exclusive interview with E! News. "If he moved his hand it would've been a better picture. But you know, he has to keep people guessing. So that's understandable."
There's always next time.
Nonetheless, scrolling through his feed and seeing that shot of the GOAT left the retired athlete as shocked as the rest of us. "I was like, 'Oh, Tom!' I was like, 'Wow!'" the 33-year-old, who teamed up with Bounty ahead of the 2023 Super Bowl, recalled. "He's showing all his goods basically, that's a first."
"I love that he's opening up already in the retirement era," Gronk added. "It's great to see."
Next year, Brady (who announced his retirement—again—on Feb 1) will join his former teammate on Fox as he starts his broadcasting career. So, what advice does analyst Gronk have for his pal?
"Just to prepare how you prepare for a game, you know?" Gronk told E!. "Put all your marbles in, study up big time until when it's time to shine, it's game day, you're ready to be in the booth and you're fully ready to go. His knowledge is spectacular. It's through the roof and he just knows the game of football inside and out."
For the former tight end, this next career chapter has been a complete touchdown. "It's a lot of fun, just such great guys around," he shared. "Howie Long, Curt Menefee, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson, Terry Bradshaw, let me tell you, they're experienced guys. You learn a lot from them, you listen to them."
"At the same time, they're always having fun, cracking jokes," he continued. "They got football knowledge that just blows my mind. Whenever I have a question I just ask them and they always have a great answer. And it's just a great team and family on the Fox network."
And you can bet Gronk is ready for Super Bowl Sunday, which will see Jalen Hurts' Philadelphia Eagles take on fellow quarterback Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs.
His message to the players? Don't get distracted by Rihanna—or the pomp and circumstance of the big day.
"Stick to the game plan, you don't need to do anything extra," the four-time Super Bowl champ said. "Make sure you dot your Is and cross your Ts with the game plan so you're ready to go. You know the whole entire playbook like the back of your hand."
"There's a lot of distractions when you're playing in the Super Bowl," he noted. "Tickets, fans, parties, all that—and just totally ignore them. It's all about the game, that's the biggest stage."
As for which team is going to win the big game, Gronk has a prediction. "I'm going with the Eagles," he explained. "They've just been dominating teams all year long as well, they've got a great offensive line, a great defensive line."
Though he does anticipate a close game: "31 points for the Eagles and 24 points for Kansas City."
And for those fans planning a viewing party this weekend, Gronk has the ultimate tips.
"Well you know, I'm an ex-football player, I played 11 seasons and now I'm a football fan," he shared, "and let me tell you, you can't have football without your wings and you can't have wings without Bounty."