A Legend Returns
Retired tight end Rob Gronkowski is making a comeback to the NFL
photo provided by Wikipedia Commons
Rob Gronkowski will look to bring the same play making and intensity he had in New England to Tampa Bay.
On April 21 it was released that Rob Gronkowski had interest in making another run in the NFL. Although he did not want to do it with the team he has played his whole career for and built his Hall of Fame status with the New England Patriots. He wanted to play alongside his close friend and quarterback Tom Brady.
“Brady and Gronkowski developed the type of chemistry on and off the field that is crucial to success,” said Jason Licht, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager. “Rob combines elite-level skills as both a receiver and blocker but what really makes him special is the fact that he’s a proven winner who brings that championship mindset and work ethic.”
Now Tom Brady did sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through free agency. So the only way for Gronkowski to end up in Tampa was to request a trade from the team that had current rights to him, the Patriots. So as all the information got released, Tampa Bay was definitely interested knowing what Gronkowski is capable of and New England was also interested because if they didn’t trade him Gronkowski would stay retired.
Tom Brady signed a free agent contract with Tampa Bay after spending his entire career with the New England Patriots.
After many talks, around 4 p.m. central time Rob Gronkowski and a 7th round pick were traded to Tampa for a 4th round pick. Now Tampa receives a star tight end while New England gets a solid draft pick for a player that wasn’t technically on their team. The trade worked out for both teams and will definitely have a huge effect on the NFL season this fall.
“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,” Licht said.
Now many people wonder why Gronkowski even retired in the first place because he was only 29 years old. Well besides that he wanted to give his body a bit of a rest there were some behind-the-scene trades happening that no one knew about.
Two years ago before the draft, the Patriots agreed to trade Gronkowski to the Detroit Lions. However, Gronkowski told them he would retire over playing for the Lions.
“Brady’s my quarterback, I wasn’t going anywhere without Brady,” Gronkowski said when asked about the trade.
So Gronkowski didn’t really retire; he took a break until he could reunite with Tom Brady. No one can blame him either because everyone wants to catch passes from the greatest quarterback of all time.
The NFL world was shaken when Brady went to Tampa because no one could imagine him not in a Patriots and now we have to imagine him and Gronkowski together in a new uniform. The NFL is all in shock and Tampa Bay is a team to watch out for and could potentially be playing in their home stadium in Super Bowl 55.
