Tom Brady is back for another year as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting quarterback, but whether he will have his old reliable tight end downfield in the form of Rob Gronkowski with him in the 2022 NFL season is something that is currently up in the air.

Brady would definitely love having Gronkowski back as a teammate, but he also knows that this will be a decision for Gronk to make.

Via Scott Smith:

Tom Brady on Rob Gronkowski’s decision to return or not: It’s totally up to him.

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Gronkowski is still a free agent, with his future not only with the Buccaneers but in the NFL still unclear. When Brady “retired” back in February, it felt as though it was also the end of Gronkowski's NFL career. But Brady deciding to return to hunt for another Super Bowl ring adds more flavor to Gronkowski's much-awaited decision.

The 33-year-old Gronkowski inked a one-year deal with the Buccaneers worth $8 million in 2021 with the dream of winning another ring with Brady. But Tampa Bay was stopped in the 2021 NFC Divisional Round by the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, which left a bitter taste in the mouth of the Bucs, particularly of Brady, whose appetite for success never wanes.

In the 2021 NFL season, Gronkowski posted 802 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 55 receptions.