Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tipped to Win Championship and Compete in Super Bowl After Rob Gronkowski Trade

Rob Gronkowski was all set to leave the New England Patriots and retire from the NFL. However, in a sudden turn of events, he elected to stay on, though the Patriots chose to trade him to the the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Initially, he took a year away from the game, before Tom Brady coaxed him back and convinced him to head to Tampa Bay.

Recently, sports analysts, Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless broke down the trade. The Gronk had previously put in a spectacular performance against the LA Rams in the 2018 Super Bowl. When Tom Brady completed four straight passes, the first and last ones found themselves in Gronkowski’s safe hands.

How did the Patriots-Buccaneers trade of Rob Gronkowski take place?

Gronkowski turns 31 in May and has one year and $9 million remaining on his contract. In spite of this, the Patriots traded him to the Buccaneers.

The Tampa Bay franchise later confirmed the news in a press release Tuesday. As a result, New England will receive a fourth-round pick in this week’s draft. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay will receive a seventh-round pick once the Gronkowski trade is complete.

“Rob Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends in NFL history and he plays the game with the type of passion and desire that sets him apart,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said in a statement. “Rob has played his entire career alongside Tom Brady, and their accomplishments speak for themselves. Together they have developed the type of chemistry on and off the field that is crucial to success.”

Apparently, the Gronk desired to end his retirement just to play for Tampa Bay, a league source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

“Shortly after Tom Brady went to Tampa, Rob and I had a conversation that this is a situation that would be appealing to him,” Rosenhaus said. “Obviously, this was a deal that New England had to feel good about, Tampa had to feel good about. This wasn’t just about Rob. All the parties involved had to be in agreement.”

Brady had some fun with Gronkowski’s return in a video he tweeted. He blew a conch shell and said, “A little tired, but Gronk reporting.”