Not gonna hold anything against Gronk, one of my favorite Patriots of all time. But, it does feel like it would be easier to appreciate "freedom" and such AFTER you've already become established in the league and won three Super Bowls in a more restrictive culture. If he had never played for NE and only had 1 (or zero) Super Bowls, this would just be Lane Johnson talking about having fun.
Edit: Full disclaimer, I didn't read the article, so flame away if there's some context that makes my post out of place. Just speaking generally.