"Always keeping it real" - Rob Gronkowski expresses gratitude to Bruce Arians after Bucs coach's retirement

Rob Gronkowski is one of the many players to wish farewell to Bruce Arians, who shockingly retired from his position as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the middle of the 2022 NFL offseason.

Gronkowski thanked Bruce Arians on Twitter for their two years together in Tampa Bay. The tight end wrote:

"Thanks for the last 2 great years Coach, hopefully they let you keep riding around in your cart always keeping it real."

Arians has spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the Buccaneers, two of which included Gronowski on the roster, with one of the seasons resulting in a Super Bowl ring.

Gronkowski also mentioned that he hopes the Buccaneers organization will allow Arians to continue riding around practices on his golf cart. Although Arians has retired as the team's head coach, he will still be involved in their operations. He is moving into the front office position for the 2022 NFL season and moving forward.

Replacing Arians in the head coaching position is Todd Bowles, who has spent the last three seasons as the Buccaneers defensive coordinator. Arians stated that one of the main reasons he decided to retire now is because he wanted to hand the team over to Bowles while they were in a good situation. He said he wanted to set Bowles up for the best possible chance at success.

Is Rob Gronkowski returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2022 NFL season?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski

Rob Gronkowski is unclear about his future with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and in the NFL. He is yet to make an announcement about his intentions moving forward and all options appear to be on the table, including signing a new contract with the Buccaneers, switching to a new team or possibly even retiring. He is currently an unrestricted free agent so he is flexible with his decisions.

Earlier in the offseason, it appeared unlikely that he would be returning to the Buccaneers for the 2022 NFL season. Tom Brady famously retired at the start of the offseason, only to change his mind a few weeks later and announce that he would be returning to the Buccaneers for the 2022 season. If Brady remained retired, most reports were that Gronkowski would either change teams or retire as well.

With Tom Brady returning to the Buccaneers, the chances of Rob Gronkowski coming back for another have significantly increased. Gronkowski will likely make his official decision sometime in the near future.