NFL Trade Rumors: Rob Gronkowski could be tempted to join Tom Brady's AFC rivals

With Tom Brady reportedly retiring from the NFL this postseason, there are questions over the contracts of other key Tampa Bay Buccaneers players. One of the stars in the discussion is Brady's best buddy Rob Gronkowski.

The star tight end reunited with his former New England Patriots teammate in Tampa and won Super Bowl LV together after coming out of retirement in 2019. Gronkowski is yet to decide about his future in the NFL after signing a one-year, $10 million contract last year.

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Rob Gronkowski could join Tom Brady's AFC rivals

Gronkowski is a free agent and there's speculation that the NFL star could leave the Buccaneers to team up with Brady's AFC rivals, the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills were in the mix for Gronkowski before the 32-year-old re-signed with the Buccaneers last season. Matt Parrino of News 4 Buffalo claims Gronkowski may be interested in playing with quarterback Josh Allen in the 2022-23 NFL season. He tweeted:

Now with Tom Brady retiring, interested to see if Rob Gronkowski considers playing with Josh Allen. He said Bills were in the mix last year.”

It's tough to see Gronkowski return to Tampa Bay for next season, especially if Brady retires. He could either retire or stay in the league for another couple of seasons. When asked about his future after losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round, Gronkowski said:

"If they’re like, ‘Rob, you’ve got to decide right now, right this second if you’re playing next year,’ I would be like, ‘No, I’m not playing,'” he told TMZ.

“You’ve got to give it some time, you’ve got to rest to see how everything goes, to see how everything plays out, how I feel. I just want to heal completely, see where my thoughts are from there then. If I had to answer right now, it would be no,” before adding, “But you never know. In three weeks, it might be yes!”

Moving to Buffalo shouldn't be a problem for a New York native. Allen is no Brady, but he is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now alongside Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes.

Amid the chaos surrounding Brady's likely retirement and a possible Buccaneers reshuffle, Gronkowski hinted at returning to the NFL for his 12th season. As things stand, the four-time Super Bowl champion is expected to plan his NFL future after Brady's final decision.