TAMPA, Fla. — Both the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and ESPN's Adam Schefter are reporting that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots have agreed to terms on a trade that would send Rob Gronkowski to Tampa Bay, thus reuniting the tight end with his former quarterback, Tom Brady.
Both reporters say the Patriots would send Gronkowski and a 7th-round pick to the Buccaneers in exchange for a 4th-round pick.
Gronkowski is widely regarded as the greatest tight end of all time. Brady is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time. Together they won three Super Bowl championships in New England.
Gronkowski retired from the NFL in March of 2019. His last game with the New England Patriots was the NFL championship win against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
Gronk teased fans last August with a "special" announcement, some had hoped for a return to the Patriots. The real announcement was Gronkowski's promotion of a product product called CBDMEDIC. Gronkowski claimed at the time the product made him "pain free" for the first time since his college years, and also lobbied for a change in sports governing bodies' stance on the phytocannabinoid.
When asked by a reporter if there were any potential plans to come back, Gronkowski responded rather emotionally.
"I want to be clear to my fans, I needed to recover," he said. "I was not in a good place. Football was bringing me down. And I didn't like it. And I was losing that joy in life. I'm sorry right now but – I really was, and I was fighting through it."
Gronkowski's recent foray into the wrestling world seems to close the door on his NFL career. Gronk hosted the most recent Wrestlemania and walked away with the 24/7 Championship belt.
Apparently, Gronk's playing days are not over:
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