FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tight end Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots parties almost as well as he plays football, and now he’s showing off both sides of his larger-than-life personality as a cover model.

Gronkowski was selected for the cover of “Madden NFL 17” on Thursday. Also, he’ll appear on the front of “GQ” magazine with the model Hailey Clauson.

Gronkowski said that just making it into the video game his rookie year was a thrill.

“Now, going into my seventh year and being on the cover, it’s surreal,” he said, rattling off the names of previous cover selections. “You’re joining an elite category. Just joining that category, it’s something you’ll have the rest of your life.”

Gronkowski succeeds Odell Beckham Jr. on the video game cover. But while last year’s edition showed the New York Giants’ receiver making a one-handed catch, Madden 17 features a classic Gronk spike.

The “GQ” cover is another Gronkowski trademark: He’s partying it up, shirtless, with a bikini-wearing Clauson on his shoulders.

EAGLES: Quarterback Carson Wentz signed a four-year contract one day before rookie camp.

Wentz led North Dakota State to FCS national titles in his only two seasons as a starter before Philadelphia selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in last month’s NFL draft. Wentz is expected to spend most of the season playing behind Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel.