New England Patriots great Rob Gronkowski has responded to club owner Robert Kraft’s suggestion that Taylor Swift date the tight end instead of Travis Kelce because he’s ‘better looking,’ implying that the comments were’silly’ in the first place.

The 34-year-old ‘Gronk’, a four-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has been dating Sports Illustrated model Camille Kostek since 2015, and despite the fact that the couple has remained unmarried since then, the five-time selectee isn’t about to lose love with his longtime girlfriend.

“Kraft is always being silly,” Gronkowski said of the 82-year-old business executive who has owned the Patriots since 1994, on the most recent episode of MassLive’s ‘Eye on Foxborough’ podcast. ‘He’s constantly acting goofy.

But I’m quite glad to be with Camille, my girl. She is a sweetheart. She was actually a Patriots cheerleader. We’re going down in history. However, Mr. Kraft is never without a job. He’s also known for telling ridiculous jokes. So that is simply Mr. Kraft for you.

‘And I appreciate his comments,’ he added. ‘You know, complementing on my appearance, saying I’m extremely attractive, because I’ll say Travis is a penny piece. He’s a 10/10. So if he says I’m better looking than Travis Kelce, well, I’m like a 10.2.

Last month, Kraft was seen speaking with fans about Swift’s first show at Gilette Stadium, the Patriots’ home stadium. While praising Swift’s success as a musician who has won 14 Grammy Awards in the last 14 years, Kraft suggested that she date a different tight end than the Chiefs’ starting one.

‘Her first stadium concert was on my birthday, June 5, 2010. “We convinced her and her family that she could sell out a stadium,” Kraft said at Topps Hobby Rip Night in West Palm Beach. ‘When she came to see the Chiefs play the Patriots at Gillette this year, I gave her a framed ticket to that concert.

‘Think about it, she was like 18 [or] 19, and she’s done pretty well since then,’ he added. ‘Except maybe she should have been dating Gronk- he’s better looking.’ Gronkowski and Kelce are frequently compared in conversations about the best tight end of the twenty-first century.

Kelce now leads in games played, receptions, receiving yards, and Pro Bowl selections. Gronkowski, on the other hand, has more receiving touchdowns and Super Bowl wins than his teammate. Both men have four All-Pro first-team selections.

Gronkowski also had an advantage over Kelce when they faced off in championship games. Their only Super Bowl appearance came in 2021, when the Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31–9.

Gronkowski retired earlier than projected in 2022 at the age of 33, giving Kelce a chance to catch up in a number of categories.