The Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization is still celebrating the return of Tom Brady, who retired and then unretired in the span of about a month. The Bucs were facing the daunting task of jumping on the already-spinning quarterback carousel, but Brady is returning for another Super Bowl run. Now, all eyes shift to tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is currently not under contract.
The legendary tight end has said he’s going to take his time in the offseason, but with Brady retiring, it was only natural to assume he would follow suit. However, with Brady returning to the fold, many are expecting Gronk to do so as well.
During a recent trip to a Tampa barber shop, Gronkowski was asked if he would be returning for his 12th NFL season. His response showed he’s leaning yes.
“It’s a very good chance,” said Gronkowski. “I’ll let (Brady) have a little scare. Couple months without me and then, you know. He just did it to me for a couple of months.”
While the Buccaneers did not win the Super Bowl this past season, Gronkowski looked better than he did in 2020. The 32-year-old caught 55 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns, and also caught nine passes for 116 yards and one touchdown in two postseason games. He looked much more comfortable, and admitted that in a mid-season interview with CBS Sports.
“The biggest difference is just feeling comfortable,” Gronkowski said about his second season in Tampa compared to his first. “Just knowing the playbook, knowing how everything works, knowing all my teammates. You just got a lot better feel than just stepping right in last year and getting to meet everyone, learning the playbook during training camp. So it just feels so much more comfortable this year with overall everything.”
Gronkowski has never played on a team without Brady, and it doesn’t sound like he will leave for a new destination this offseason. Retirement was always a possibility, but with Brady back, why not give it another shot?
