2018 season of Rob Gronkowski

The Patriots agreed to trade Gronkowski to the Detroit Lions in the offseason but the deal fell through after the tight end vetoed it.

On April 24, Gronkowski announced that he had met with head coach Bill Belichick and that he would return for the 2018 season.

He returned to practice on June 5 after skipping minicamp, confirming his return.

In the opening game against the Houston Texans, Gronkowski had seven receptions for 123 yards and one touchdown in a 27–20 victory. He also fumbled for the first time since 2012.

However, in his next six games, Gronkowski had some limited production, totaling 22 receptions for 325 yards with no touchdowns.

He scored his second touchdown of the season in the Week 12 victory over the New York Jets.

In Week 14, against the Miami Dolphins, he had eight receptions for 107 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 34–33 loss. In the loss, a last-second victory by the Dolphins, Gronkowski unsuccessfully was the last line of defense on the game-winning play.

This stemmed from Gronkowski often taking the field as a hybrid safety to defend against Hail Mary passes.[176][185] In the 2018 season, he finished with 47 receptions for 682 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.

The Patriots made the playoffs as the #2-seed in the AFC. In the Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Chargers, he had a 25-yard reception in the 41–28 victory. In the AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had six receptions for 79 receiving yards in the 37–31 overtime victory. During Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams,

Gronkowski finished with 87 receiving yards as the Patriots won 13–3. In the process, he set the record for catches and yards for tight ends in the Super Bowl with 23 catches and 297 yards. Gronkowski's biggest moment came when, with the score tied at 3 in the fourth quarter, he had a 29-yard catch from Tom Brady which took the Patriots to the two-yard line and set up the game's only touchdown, with Sony Michel scoring on a two-yard rush to put the Patriots ahead.