Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM Provides Update on Rob Gronkowski’s Future After Tom Brady’s Retirement : ‘I’m Giving Rob the Respect to Give Him Some Time to See How He Feels’

 Tom Brady made his retirement official on 1 February. While the world honors Tom Brady, his best friend’s, Rob Gronkowski’s future in the league is unclear. Rob Gronkowski rejoined the Buccaneers in 2020 after announcing his retirement in 2019.

Now that Brady has finally retired from the NFL, everyone might assume Gronk‘s announcement is also on the horizon. The truth is, Rob himself admitted to TMZ Sports that if he were asked right now if he would play next season, he’d retire. Gronk said, “If they’re like, ‘Rob, you’ve got to decide right now, right this second if you’re playing next year,’ I would say no right now……. ‘No, I’m not playing.”

Meanwhile, he said that the Bucs are not pressuring him to make a decision and that he should let his decision rest for a while, in case it changes. Furthermore, he said that if his body heals and he has time to reflect on the season, the answer might be yes.

Gronkowski will be welcomed back by the Buccaneers

According to the Buccaneers‘ general manager, Jason Licht, Gronk would be welcomed back if he wishes to continue playing. He said, “I’m giving Rob the respect to give him some time to see how he feels here in the next coming of weeks after a long, grueling season.”

In his view, after playing for 11 seasons, a player needs some time to figure out his future in the league. Additionally, he mentioned that he talked to Rob and realized that his comeback would be independent of Brady‘s. The Buccaneers’ GM also noted that Gronk has had a great experience with the Bucs and that he played a crucial role in their success this season.

Finally, he concluded by saying, “We would welcome Rob back with open arms, but we’re giving him his space right now to decide on what he wants to do.”

Friendship Goals ft. Tom Brady & Rob Gronkowski

The two best friends have played together for almost the entire past decade. The New England Patriots drafted tight end, Rob Gronkowski, in the 2 round of the 2010 NFL draft as the 42nd overall pick. Since joining the Patriots franchise, Gronk and Brady have won 4 Super Bowls together.

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Their first Super Bowl win came in 2015 when they defeated the Seattle Seahawks. Following this triumph, they together went on to win Super Bowls in 2017 by defeating the Atlanta Falcons and in 2019 by crushing the Los Angeles Rams.

In 2019, Gronk announced his retirement from the NFL, however, Brady convinced his best friend to rethink his decision. In 2020, Gronk reunited with Brady and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Finally, in 2021, they won their fourth Super Bowl title together, which was also their last championship together.

Sports have very few friendships that operate so effectively both on and off the field. We can simply be thankful to God that we were born during the Tommy-Gronky era.

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