Rob Ninkovich Joking About Comeback With Bucs Might Be Too Much for Patriots Fans to Take

The New England Patriots fanbase was over the moon when they heard that Rob Gronkowski was coming back to football, but were crushed when they found out he was really angling for a trade to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Another former Patriot from those mid-2010s championship teams seems to be game to make a comeback, too, as former New England fan favorite defensive end Rob Ninkovich, who retired in 2016 at the age of 32, jokingly offered to return to the NFL in a long snapper's capacity.

"Rob u said if u come back I come back." he wrote, sending another dagger right into the hearts of Pats fans the world over.

There is perhaps no player with a name, physical appearance, and play style of a Bill Belichick breakout star than Ninkovich. A country-strong defensive end that was equally adept at stuffing the run and getting to the quarterback, the former Purdue star racked up 46 sacks in eight seasons as a Patriot.

While Ninkovich was never named to a Pro Bowl, he had a habit of making game-changing plays on some of Belichick's greatest teams, and he parlayed that into championships.

We've seen defensive ends make some noise in rotational roles at age 36 in the past, so it wouldn't be totally shocking if Ninkovich got the urge to come back again. Then again, considering how things have been trending of late, Ninkovich might try to force his way to Tampa Bay instead of New England.

If that really did happen, as far-fetched as it may be, consider it the last straw for Boston sports fans.