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Could Rob Gronkowski come out of retirement to join the Bucs? One analyst seems to think so

The Rob Gronkowski comeback rumors are still alive and well.

With Tom Brady now a Buccaneer, some analysts believe Gronkowski joining his former teammate in Tampa Bay could happen. New England would have to agree to trade him, however, ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio made a great case for the move.

“For Gronk, Bruce Arians is the perfect coach,” Florio said Thursday on NBC Sports’ “PFT Overtime.” “Gronk had gotten worn out by Bill Belichick. Here comes Bruce Arians with a drink in one hand and he’s dropping f-bombs and he’s got the Kangol hat on. This guy’s cool in the eyes of Rob Gronkowski. This is the kind of guy Gronk would come out of retirement for, especially if it puts him back together with his good buddy, Tom Brady. I mean, it makes a ton of sense on the surface.”

As much as the football world would love to see Gronk return to the sideline, the final decision ultimately rests on his shoulders. The five-time Pro Bowler has tried to squash comeback rumors in the past yet it never seems to work.

“Whatever I say, it doesn’t matter,” Gronkowski told ESPN’s Mike Reiss in June 2019. “It will always be crazy out there, but you can put them to rest. I’m feeling good. [In a] good place.”

For the record, Bucs general manager Jason Licht isn’t quite sure if Gronk, who retired after the Patriots’ Super Bowl 53 victory, still wants to play. One of Gronkowski’s brothers also recently told TMZ that the 30-year-old “might be moving on,” later adding he wouldd be surprised to see his sibling in Tampa.

Gronk, meanwhile, seems to have found a home in the WWE. The former All-Pro tight end just snagged the 24/7 championship belt at Wrestlemania.

C. Isaiah Smalls II
Miami Herald
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.
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