“Discussions on about potential return”: Rob Gronkowski is reportedly CLOSE to making a return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for one last dance
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Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady could be reunited for one last time. GETTY Images
The phrase Robin to my Batman should be replaced with Gronkowski to my Brady. The Hall of Fame tight end may not be done playing despite having retired for the second time this offseason. He was in attendance for the season opener of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to show his support but the odds are that appearance may have had yet another purpose behind it.
The Tampa Bay Bucs and Rob Gronkowski have reportedly been having active and productive “discussions about Gronk’s potential return” as per JoeBucsFan who also reported that Gronk was in attendance for the Bucs game against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, a game where Brady and the squad lost 14-12.
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Talks between Rob Gronkowski and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been a sensitive subject for the team:
The source adds that there is a lot of speculation about the tight end’s return to the football field. “What that means is unclear, but Joe also has been told that there have been discussions about Gronk’s potential return to the Bucs but that has been a ‘sensitive’ subject because free agent signee tight end Kyle Rudolph has yet to be activated in a game until today’s,” it was reported on the 25th of September.
Kyle Rudolph has signed a contract for one season worth $2 million, the Bucs signed him to fill the void left by the retirement of Gronkowski. Tom Brady had an active role to play in the signing of Rudolph, the quarterback told him that “we (the Buccaneers) need you down here anyway” irrespective of Gronk’s decision to retire or not. Rudolph played on Sunday and caught a 12-yard pass, apart from that his contributions were not significant.
Tampa Bay’s offense has been struggling this season, with Chris Godwin yet to return from his injury and Mike Evans having to bear the brunt of the offense, having a tight end who has chemistry with Tom Brady would be a relief for the quarterback who is in his final NFL season. Cameron Brate is the other tight end on the team who has also been struggling, he has just had seven catches for 68 yards and no trips to the endzone.
A significant amount of his catches came in the game against the Packers, the team has also given snaps to rookies Ko Kieft and Cade Otton who has one catch for 4 yards. He was unable to play in the game against the Chiefs as he took some personal time off to deal with the loss of his mother, Sally. Kieft has been largely used to block and play on special teams.
Tampa Bay has been averaging 17 points with 310.3 yards per game, with only two touchdowns to show for this season, tight ends have not contributed much to the team’s performance. Rob Gronkowski’s agent Drew Rosenhaus spoke about his client’s mindset and stated that he is not “aware of any change yet.” He also did not rule out the possibility of a return as he added, “But you know what my thoughts have been about this all along.”
Following Gronk’s retirement last season, Rosenhaus hinted that his client could make a return late in the season and he has kept his stand by continuing to push that narrative. After his retirement, the tight end threw a large going-out party in September and seemed to be convinced by his decision this time. He had stated that this season, even if Tom Brady were to ask him to come back, he would not do so.
Despite not being an active player in the league, Gronk has not completely walked away from the game, he continues to keep himself updated about the happenings in and around the league. With his power and size, the tight end could bring some much-needed respite for a desperate Bucs offense. Over the course of his 11-year NFL career, he has had 621 catches for over 9,000 yards, and 92 touchdowns. He is the greatest player at his position with his four Super Bowls and five Pro Bowls.
Injuries have been the biggest reason that forced him to retire early after the 2018 season, that and his reluctance on playing for the Detroit Lions, a team to which he could have possibly been traded. He returned in 2020 to the Buccaneers where he spent two seasons. It is safe to say that as long as Tom Brady is still actively playing in the NFL, Rob Gronkowski will always keep the door for a return open.
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Sumedh Joshi
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