With His Incredible Improvisational Skills, Rob Gronkowski Just Showed That He Is a Natural for Being on Air

Rob Gronkowski was touted to be the awkward one on the mic when he joined FOX as an analyst. However, much to everyone’s surprise, it’s been the opposite so far. The former NFL tight end has been effortless in his broadcasting, and his talents were on full display after being put on the spot with a hilarious prank.

On last night’s FOX NFL Sunday, the broadcasting crew showcased an epic prank they pulled on the four-time Super Bowl champ. In cahoots with the production team, the crew tricked Gronkowski into believing they would do an extra segment for a piece of breaking news. This is where the prank begins.

The six-man crew went “LIVE” as normal. Jay Glazer then started the proceedings by breaking a made-up news informing Rob that Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy & Co. has activated the insanely talented tight end Rich Russo, who apparently has two fingers missing in his right hand.

As you might have figured by now, Rich Russo doesn’t exist.

While Gronk did seem to have his doubts, the conviction with which his co-hosts hyped up this decisive moment made him forget all about it. Moreover, since he was “LIVE,” the lead analyst had to pretend he knew about Russo to save himself from an oopsie.

As soon as Gronkowski was processing Russo’s existence, his co-hosts put him on the spot by asking his thoughts about the Cowboys player. This is where Gronk surprisingly stunned everyone by delivering a convincing cooked-up story:

“Oh, you know he’s been out for a little bit, so he might be a little rusty coming back. But I think they’re going to give him the opportunities.”

Not only did Rob sound confident while saying this, but he also went on to speculate about Jake Ferguson’s future playing time, just as an analyst worth his salt would. As Rob continued bluffing, Michael Strahan was the first to break character, failing to control his laughter.

Terry Bradshaw went a step further by asking Rob how Russo would catch well, considering his condition in the right hand.

“He’s the only guy in the league that has two fingers missing on his right hand. That’s why he’s been out and he’s back now, so he that can affect him when he’s catching,” said Bradshaw.

It was at this absurd moment when the entire crew broke into laughter. They then gently informed Rob that it was all a prank and that Rich Russo didn’t exist. The Patriots legend let out a sigh of relief before admitting that he had his “head spinning” while making up things about the fictional tight end.

Naturally, fans were impressed by Rob’s quick bluffing and improvisation. Thus, they promptly flocked to social media to share their compliments.

Fans shower praise on Gronk

Fans’ unanimous reaction to the prank was more one of awe than amusement. Given Gronk’s stereotypical portrayal, the legendary TE seemed to have pleasantly surprised them with his quick thinking. As a result, the majority complimented the former tight end for handling the prank so well.

While most fans chose to see the fun side of the video, others wondered how many “analysts” must have been bluffing like Rob did.

That said, props to Rob for dealing with it the way he did. To maintain the composure while smartly shifting the narrative to Ferguson was super smart. Maybe the media and his teammates should now really reconsider portraying him as he truly is — a GOAT TE and a leading football pundit.