"They wanted me to come up there" - Rob Gronkowski once revealed plans of playing for Bills after retirement

Rob Gronkowski’s NFL journey has been anything but typical, including two early retirements that left fans stunned. The first came in 2019 during the New England Patriots' dominant run, when he walked away citing physical and mental exhaustion. After a successful 2021 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gronkowski announced his retirement again and has remained retired since.

In a throwback clip that still surprises fans, the former Patriots tight end revealed that the Buffalo Bills showed great interest in signing him.

“When Tom retired I was like ‘Ah, I’m actually going to go check out some other teams,’" Gronkowski said in January 2023, via the 'New Heights' podcast. "I was actually in talks with the Buffalo Bills a little bit. They wanted me to come up there. It just wasn’t there though, you know. If my mindset was there I would probably most likely be in Buffalo right now playing with the Bills.”

Gronkowski may have never played for the Bills but his Buffalo ties are strong. Raised in the area, he has always spoken fondly of his hometown and Bills fans dreamt of seeing him catch for Josh Allen.

“I’m kind of a Buffalo Bills fan now again,” Gronkowski said. “Now that I’m not playing no more, I’m like ‘dang’. And I thought about it, how cool that would be playing for the Buffalo Bills. I actually thought about it.”

The decision stunned many, especially since Buffalo is his hometown and the Bills were contenders. However, Gronkowski, known for doing things on his terms, opted to walk away rather than suit up in blue and red.

Rob Gronkowski denies recent rumors of unretiring

Despite staying off the field since 2022, fans have speculated about Rob Gronkowski's comeback every season as he is only 35 years old. The rumors started when he told Julian Edelman on the "Dudes on Dudes" podcast that he’s been busier since retirement and considered returning to football.

“I might as well go back because playing ball would be easier than what I'm doing over the last six months,” Gronkowski said in February.

However, he quickly shut down the rumors during an interview with Jordan Schultz in February. Gronk denied a return and cited that his body isn’t capable of handling the demands of the NFL.