'Very good chance' Rob Gronkowski re-signs with Buccaneers?

Rob Gronkowski Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

TE Rob Gronkowski: 'Very good chance' he re-signs with Buccaneers

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 3/16/22

Almost immediately after quarterback Tom Brady used social media to end his brief retirement and announce he was returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, fans and analysts alike speculated that it was a matter of when, not if, superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski would join his "best friend" back in Florida.

In news that will surprise few outsiders, it appears there will be more "tuddies" for everybody starting in September.

BIG DEAL HERE: Free Agent TE Rob Gronkowski at a Tampa Barber Shop says, “there’s a very good chance” he’ll be back w/ #Bucs

Mentions making @TomBrady sweat, because he made Gronk wait a couple months payback style

My guy @amvilla29 with the vid
pic.twitter.com/gYw3t5XKUg
— (@ZacOnTheMic) March 16, 2022

It may not be immediate. Always on Gronk’s time. But that has been the thought, that Gronk heads back to the #Bucs. https://t.co/6BhF6jYzNy
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2022

Gronkowski initially retired after the 2018 season and spent a year outside of football before he followed Brady to Tampa Bay via a trade from the New England Patriots to the Buccaneers in the spring of 2020. The Hall-of-Fame duo famously hooked up for a pair of touchdowns in the Super Bowl LV victory over the Kansas City Chiefs the subsequent February but ultimately fell short of their goal of repeating when Tampa Bay lost to the Los Angeles Rams in a playoff game this past January.

Gronkowski didn't call time on his career after Brady announced his retirement on Feb. 1, and the 32-year-old even suggested ahead of this year's Super Bowl he wouldn't mind playing alongside Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals. Once it learned earlier this month that Gronkowski was staying in shape by working out at the Buccaneers' facility, a reunion seemed likely.

Brady may be the league's top recruiter among active players, but it's also possible Gronk could have had some "inside information" about his buddy's true intentions days, if not weeks, before NCAA Selection Sunday.

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