With the announcement of Rob Gronkowski’s retirement, it serves as an opportunity to put on the thinking cap and assess his place in history.

So where does the greatest tight end of this era rank among the best players in the Patriots franchise? It’s a great debate topic, with the names and order completely subjective.

Here’s how we’d rank Gronk and everyone else in a list of the Top 10 greatest Patriots of all time.

1. TOM BRADY: At least there’s a no-brainer at the top. The GOAT stands alone. He’s the best in franchise history and the greatest quarterback who’s ever played. Along with head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft, he’s been a part of all six championships. He’s a four-time Super Bowl MVP, a three-time NFL MVP and a 14-time Pro Bowl player. Beyond that, he’s still playing and leading an offense and still winning at an age where most quarterbacks are either retired or relegated to backup roles. Few are better in the clutch than No. 12.

2. JOHN HANNAH: Yet another GOAT at his position. The Patriots used the fourth overall pick in the 1973 draft to take the guard out of the University of Alabama. Hannah, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, could do it all between pass protection and run blocking. He was a force. Hannah played in the Patriots’ first-ever trip to the Super Bowl in 1985. That game against the Bears, Super Bowl XX, proved to be his last as he retired at the age of 34.

3. ROB GRONKOWSKI: Few tight ends have impacted the game like Gronk. He was a mismatch every time he stepped on the field both as a pass catcher and as a blocker. He was part of three Super Bowl titles, and posted five seasons of double-digit touchdowns and four of 1,000 receiving yards. He has caught the most touchdowns (79) of any player in Patriots history, and the most touchdowns (12) of any tight end during the postseason. As Brady aptly stated in an Instagram post, “Our team was almost unbeatable when you were on the field!” He is bound for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

4. ANDRE TIPPETT: A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Tippett racked up 100 career sacks, a mark that still stands in the Patriots record books. The 18.5 sacks he notched in 1984 also sits as the single-season standard for the Pats. He recorded 30 multiple-sack games in his career, sacking 41 different quarterbacks. The five-time Pro Bowl linebacker was just as good against the run during his career. Just an all-around great player.

5. MIKE HAYNES: One of the NFL’s original shut-down corners. Haynes, a first-round draft pick of the Pats in the 1976 draft, was named an All-Pro in six of his seven seasons in New England. He was also an outstanding punt returner. In his rookie year he had eight interceptions along with an AFC-leading 608 yards on 45 punt returns. He’s been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

6. TY LAW: He’s the latest entry for the Patriots into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with his ceremony in Canton scheduled the first week in August. The cornerback was one of Bill Belichick’s best big-game players on defense and part of three championships. He picked off Peyton Manning nine times during his career. His pick-six of Kurt Warner and the Greatest Show on Turf got the Patriots on the board in Super Bowl XXXVI.

7. STANLEY MORGAN: The receiver averaged almost 20 yards per catch over his 13-year span in New England. The Steamer was a big play waiting to happen. He stands second all-time in touchdowns (67) behind Gronkowski, and was a four-time Pro Bowler. He topped 1,000 receiving yards three times. His best season as a Patriot was 1986 when he caught 84 passes for a then-franchise record 1,491 yards and 10 touchdowns.

8. GINO CAPPELLETTI: He did it all. He was the AFL’s all-time leading scorer with 1,130 points (42 TDs, 176 FGs and 342 PATs) and was among the AFL’s top 10 all-time receivers in yards and in receptions. Cappelletti had two of the top five scoring seasons in pro football history, with 155 points in 1964 and 147 points in 1961 (14-game seasons). He is the only player in professional football history to run for a two-point conversion, throw for a two-point conversion, catch a pass, intercept a pass, return a punt and return a kickoff in the same season.

9. RICHARD SEYMOUR: The defensive lineman, drafted sixth overall by the Pats in the 2001 draft, was a cornerstone to the defensive front during their first three championships. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl player. This year, he was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In pitching Seymour’s candidacy, Bill Belichick wrote this of Seymour: “Richard Seymour was unquestionably one of our key players and I do not believe we would have won three championships without him.”

10. ADAM VINATIERI: It’s tough to find a kicker who has had more impact on a franchise. Between kicks to win Super Bowls, kicks in snow bowls during the postseason, or plain old kicks in the clutch, Vinatieri was the man for the Patriots during their opening run of championships. He had ice water in his veins. He delivered all the big kicks for the Patriots in every possible condition. By the time Vinatieri finished his final season with the Patriots in 2005, he had kicked 18 game-winning field goals with less than a minute remaining, including the postseason.

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