Julian Edelman posts sweet message to Rob Gronkowski upon retirement

BOSTON -- Patriots fans had it pretty good for a long while. Tom Brady was the No. 1 reason for that era, but Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski have cases to be Nos. 2 and 3.

Two of Tom Brady's favorite receivers of all time are now retired from the game, as Gronkowski announced his (second) retirement on Tuesday afternoon. While there's always the possibility that Gronkowski follows Brady's lead and unretires in the fall, for now, the career of arguably the most impactful, unstoppable tight end in history has come to a close.

Edelman -- who shared a locker room with Gronkowski from 2010-18 -- made sure to send a message of love to his former teammate upon seeing the news.

"There will only ever be one Gronk. Love you bro," Edelman wrote, adding a "Foxboro Forever" hashtag.

Edelman shared a couple of photos of himself and Gronkowski giving each other piggyback rides, as well as a clip from Calvin & Hobbes, which read, "If good things lasted forever, how would we appreciate how precious they are?"

Edelman finished his career with the second-most receptions in Patriots history, the fourth-most receiving yards in Patriots history, and the most punt return touchdowns in Patriots history. Gronkowski, despite playing just 115 games, is the Patriots' all-time leader in touchdown receptions, and the second-leading receiver in terms of yards.

Though their time together in New England ended years ago, they and the Patriots -- quite clearly -- enjoyed quite the run.