Rob Gronkowski Undecided On 2022 Return

Tom Brady‘s unretirement made Rob Gronkowski extending his own unretirement to a third year expected, but the future Hall of Fame tight end is not a lock to return.

Gronkowski is undecided on playing in 2022, agent Drew Rosenhaus said (via NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe, on Twitter). The Buccaneers remain interested in keeping the decorated tight end, and Rosenhaus was in discussions with the team Wednesday. But Gronk remains on the fence, for the time being.

It would surprise if Gronk did not return. Not only has the soon-to-be 33-year-old pass catcher been tied to Brady throughout his career, he offered effusive praise for Joe Burrow, hinting at possible interest in joining the Bengals as a free agent. Those comments came before Brady re-emerged. Should Gronk play in 2022, he is widely expected to do so in Tampa.

The Bucs are giving the five-time All-Pro time to make his decision and are steadily reassembling their Super Bowl-winning crew. Ryan Jensen, Carlton Davis, Chris Godwin and Leonard Fournette are back in the fold, and Ndamukong Suh has discussed the prospect of playing a fourth Bucs season with the team’s coaching staff.

Although Gronkowski’s 2020 unretirement preceded a season in which he played all 20 Bucs games and helped the team win Super Bowl LV, he battled injuries again in 2021. The former injury-prone Patriots dynamo missed five games last season due to broken ribs. Gronk still managed six touchdown catches and topped his 2020 receiving output by posting 802 yards — his most since his 2017 All-Pro season — for the NFC South champions.

Gronk signed a one-year, $8MM deal to return in 2021, doing so on March 15 of last year. The Bucs now have Russell Gage in the fold but have lost O.J. Howard in free agency. Gronk can certainly demand similar money for 2022, but the Bucs continue to wait on his decision.

View Comments (5)