FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has yet to file his retirement papers, team owner Robert Kraft said in a pregame interview Thursday night on NFL Network.

Gronkowski has said he doesn't have plans to return, but Kraft said on the program, "We can pray and hope."

Gronkowski was not at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night for the Patriots' game against the New York Giants, but was on Fox's pregame show in his new role as an analyst. In an official statement Tuesday, Gronkowski said he was excited to "embark" on a new phase of his post-playing career.

He has also worked as an advocate for players to be allowed to use CBD products for pain relief. In an appearance in August, he said of his decision to retire, "I want to be clear to my fans. I needed to recover. I was not in a good place. Football was bringing me down, and I didn't like it. I was losing that joy in life."

In that same appearance, he said he could physically play, but mentally wasn't in a place to do so.

He described himself as "very satisfied with where I am in life now."