FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski said Tuesday that he has no restrictions as he returns from back surgery that ended his 2016 regular season early.
Limited to eight games last season, Gronkowski declared himself "100 percent" and "good to go" while speaking with reporters after the first practice of the team's mandatory three-day minicamp.
"Just being able to compete, conditioning-wise, strength-wise, in the weight room, being out on the field with teammates, being able to play football, it's great," he said after a rainy workout. "It's always important to me, whenever I get a little setback like that, to get back to where I need to be. I feel like I am -- doing everything out here, competing. It's fun."
Gronkowski has participated fully in each of the team's six sessions over the past three weeks. He added that he feels "great." That extends to the business side of the game, as the team enhanced the 2017 portion of his contract so he can earn more based on how much he plays and/or produces.
"Very thankful for the opportunity that the Patriots organization has given me," Gronkowski said. "Just have to keep working hard, do what's best for the team, and do what's best for myself to help out the team in every way possible.
"I'm always trying to perform, I always want to get better every single year. I want to get better every single week. I'm always motivated no matter what the circumstances are. I love playing the game."
Entering his eighth NFL season and having had three back surgeries in his career, Gronkowski never had doubts that he would return to the field in 2017.
"All the hard work you put in is what you're going to get out of it," he said. "I love to put in the work, love the challenge sometimes. So it is what it was. Now I'm good to go."