After Tom Brady officially retired, one of the biggest talking points was Rob Gronkowski's future with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NFL. After all, it was Brady who convinced the star tight end to come out of retirement in 2020, and with the QB gone, Gronk could follow suit.
If you'll ask Brady, though, he wants Gronk to continue playing. While he is not sure what the 32-year-old TE wants to do, the former New England Patriots and Buccaneers QB is confident that he can keep playing and commit to it.
“I don't know. I certainly hope (he plays). I mean, I've watched him basically practice and play since he started in the NFL. He can certainly do it. It's a big commitment for all of us. It's a big commitment to keep playing. And I know when he's willing to make that commitment he's unstoppable out there as a player,” Brady said on his his Let’s Go podcast, via NFL.com.
“So he'll have a lot of opportunity in every aspect of life because of who he is and his personality and what he brings to what he does. So I sure hope so. And there's a lot of players that are gonna be facing those tough decisions and really weighing the risks [and] the rewards to continue to play. But Gronk is someone that I love. He's an inspirational person for me, an inspirational friend, teammate. And I think football's a lot better when he's in it.”
For what it's worth, all recent signs suggest that Rob Gronkowski will be back in the NFL despite Tom Brady's retirement. After TB12 called it a career, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht said he does not believe that Gronk's future is tied with Brady.
The Buccaneers exec then highlighted that they “would welcome Rob back with open arms” if he decides to return, but for now, they are giving him the space he needs to decide what he wants to do in his career.
Furthermore, after the Buccaneers lost in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams, Gronkowski hinted that he is looking forward to Year 12–meaning that he's not considering retirement at that time. Of course a lot of things have changed since then, the biggest of which is Brady's exit.
Year 11 in the books 📚 What a ride it’s been. Grateful to the Bucs for giving me an opportunity to play another year. To my teammates, thank you for giving everything you had. The sweat we shed & memories made will never be forgotten. Thanks to the #Krewe too 🏴☠️
Year 12??? 👀
— Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski) January 25, 2022
However, that statement from Gronk indicates that he wants to play and remains ready if called upon. Perhaps Brady's decision is a major factor for him, but it is hard to deny that his desire to play is still there.
Perhaps his girlfriend Camille Kostek can convince him to continue playing? After all, she did say she wants to see Gronk on the field even more.
“I would love to watch him play football some more. He knows that. I tell him,” Kostek shared. “He retired when he wasn’t feeling right, and he came back when he felt good. So, it’s really going to be, truly, like a gametime decision.”
Whatever Gronk decides to do, however, one things is certain: he will go down as one of the best TEs in NFL history. He has already cemented his status as an NFL legend, and his partnership with Brady will always be remembered as they became one of the best onw-two punch QB-TE combo in the league for years.
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