Rob Gronkowski Reportedly Tells Patriots He Wants to Come Out of Retirement and Join Tom Brady on Bucs
By Michael Luciano
When New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski walked away from football at age 29, many assumed he really had a lot more left in the tank. The latest from NFL insider Ian Rapoport very much suggests we might not have seen the last of him.
Gronk has reportedly told the Patriots he wants to play again, but that he has his eyes on reuniting with Tom Brady as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Sources: Retired #Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski has told New England that he’s interested in playing football again — and would want to do it with the #Bucs and QB Tom Brady. A trade would have to be worked out for this to happen.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 21, 2020
Gronkowski has picked up 7,869 yards and 79 touchdowns in his career despite missing a good chunk of two seasons due to injury. He amassed 47 catches, 682 yards, and three touchdowns during his final season with the Patriots, which ended in a Super Bowl triumph.
Amid rumors he could have been traded to the Detroit Lions in 2018, Gronkowski announced that he would only play if Brady was his quarterback. He is sticking to that belief, as he appears to be insisting on a trade to Tampa in order to link up with Brady and Bruce Arians.
Trading the rights of a player who is planning on coming out of retirement is not uncommon, as the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders did the same thing in 2017 to send Marshawn Lynch back home.
The #Patriots and #Bucs have had some communication, from what I’m told. It’s not unprecedented — the #Seahawks and #Raiders did a similar trade with Marshawn Lynch. https://t.co/oS3vOXeKC9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 21, 2020
Gronkowski was still one of the best tight ends in all of football the last time we saw him out on the field despite the fac that he was dealing with a boatload of injuries. If Tampa is willing to part with some draft picks and tight end OJ Howard, they could secure the rights to one of the most unique individuals on and off the field in football history.