Rob Gronkowski rumors are starting to swirl, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have weighed in.
After signing Tom Brady in NFL free agency as the conclusion to one of the biggest breakups in sports history, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are absolutely Super Bowl or bust right now.
There is only one goal in the building when a player like Brady joins. As part of that goal, the Bucs front office needs to do its part to assemble an unstoppable team around him capable of winning it all in the next couple of years.
Although the Buccaneers have an elite tight end in OJ Howard and plenty of high-quality wide receivers – namely Mike Evans and Chris Godwin – there’s been speculation of a reunion between Brady and Rob Gronkowski.
One of Brady’s favorite targets with the New England Patriots, Gronk is the greatest tight end of his generation and would frequently make insane catches to keep the chains moving for No. 12. Gronkowski has been out of football for a year and is currently signed to WWE, winning the 24/7 Championship at WrestleMania 36. So it’s unclear how much he’d bring to the table for the Buccaneers, who would probably the be the only team Gronk would consider leaving WWE for.
Bucs general manager Jason Licht recently addressed the rumors linking Gronk to Brady, and while he did a great job of quieting the rumors, he didn’t exactly say “no”.
Everything Licht said there is true, with the exception of referring to WWE as “WrestleMania”. He can’t have any clue as to what Gronk’s motivations are at this point in time, and the Patriots have the rights to Gronkowski.
But would Gronkowski want to play for Bill Belichick sans Brady? And would the Patriots even want him back?
The answers to those questions are more likely to be “no” than the Bucs turning down Gronkowski if he wants to reunite with Brady. Because if Brady wants Gronk and believes the tight end can help the team win, then the Bucs have to keep their new superstar quarterback happy. They’ve basically sold him the keys to the kingdom now and are ride-or-die with him at quarterback.
Even though Tampa Bay have two excellent pass-catching tight ends in Howard and Cameron Brate, they wouldn’t be able to deny Brady the chance to work with a rejuvenated Gronkowski. Star quarterbacks rule the NFL, especially ones who have six Super Bowl rings.