Hurley got a big smile and a thumbs-up from the Patriots chairman & CEO.
Of course, Kraft was thrilled to have the future Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Famer partake in such a symbolic gesture. A date was set to make it happen on the Wednesday before New England's prime time game against the New York Jets to work around Gronkowski's schedule as an NFL analyst for Fox.
Unfortunately, Hurley could only be there in spirit.
After a hard-fought battle with ovarian cancer, Hurley passed away on November 1 -- just over a week before Gronkowski's ceremony at Gillette Stadium.
Kraft and Gronkowski both made sure to honor their beloved friend Hurley on Wednesday.
"She wanted Rob to retire as a Patriot," Kraft said in front of media at the ceremonial press conference.
Kraft explained that with Gronkowski eligible for the Patriots Hall of Fame next year, a symbolic gesture like this would have been in the works for those celebrations.
Those plans changed that day at Gronk Playground.
"I've heard that from fans everywhere, and I explained to them how we planned to do it," Kraft said.
"We decided to call an audible because of Susan's request and fulfill it right away. … So, thank you, Susan. Although she won't be with us physically, she'll be with us spiritually, and we believe she's in our presence now."
Susan founded CharityTeams in 2008, which helps nonprofits raise funds through athletic events such as the Boston Marathon. Through her life's work, she helped hundreds of runners across various races achieve their running goals while raising $42 million for nonprofits like the Patriots Foundation and the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation.
"We are 100 percent here today for her, no doubt about that," Gronk said Wednesday, moments after signing his ceremonial contract.
"I've never seen anyone have so much passion and so much grace for what they do and in raising money for other charities. I knew she was special and she did an excellent job when working with her for the 10-plus years I worked with her. She made it seamless, she made it easy, she ran all the activities, all the events, and she will have a lasting impact forever."