On Sunday, Tom Brady stunned the NFL world when he announced he was coming out of retirement to play his 23rd season in the league. Brady, who made the big announcement on Twitter, will be returning with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While his former teammate and close friend Rob Gronkowski remains a free agent, there's a growing sense that the tight end will re-sign with the Bucs. With that in mind, co-host of First Take, Skip Bayless, urged Gronk to return to the Bucs with Brady. Skip wrote on Twitter:
"LFG, Gronk. You and Tommy, one more time."
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Following the 2021-2022 season, Gronk became a free agent. He never retired, although there was speculation about whether or not he would hang up his cleats after Brady's initial retirement. Still, Gronk never declared he was done playing football. He left some optimism that he would still play when he said he'd like to play with Joe Burrow.
Following Brady's recent update, there are rumors that the Bucs are working on a deal to bring Gronk back, and the expectation is that he'll remain in Tampa.
In his two seasons playing with the Bucs, Gronkowski has been very productive. In 2020, the tight end recorded 45 receptions for 623 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Last season, he recorded 55 receptions for 802 yards and six touchdowns, showing he's still very effective at the tight end position despite his age.
Rob Gronkowski was traded to the Bucs in 2020, shortly after Tom Brady joined Tampa Bay
After Tom Brady joined the Buccaneers, Gronk came out of retirement with one thing on his mind: join Tom Brady in Tampa Bay and win a Super Bowl. The two friends did just that. The New England Patriots traded Rob Gronkowski for Tampa's 2020 fourth-round pick, reuniting the tight end with the quarterback in Florida.
The duo helped lead the Bucs to the Super Bowl in their first season in Tampa Bay. The Bucs beat the Chiefs 31-9 in the Super Bowl. In that game, Gronk caught two of Brady's three touchdown passes as the two won their first Super Bowl with the Bucs.
With the news of Brady returning for his third season with the Bucs, we should expect some Bucs players to re-sign, including Rob Gronkowski.
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