With Tom Brady and most of the 2021 Buccaneers roster returning for at least one more season, one of the few remaining questions concerns the future of Rob Gronkowski. According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, there are signs pointing towards the tight end continuing his career (video link). 

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“I don’t see him anywhere else but Tampa if he plays”, La Canfora said. “He’s given some indications that he does expect to play… The band is essentially back.”

Given that, the insider posits that he expects the soon-to-be 33-year-old to ultimately re-sign in Tampa “at his own pace”. While the veteran may not be present for the totality of the Buccaneers’ offseason workouts, he already has a career’s worth of familiarity with Brady and a consistent track record of production.

After un-retiring to reunite with Brady in Tampa, the 2010s All-Decade member has played 28 games with their new team. Over that span, he has made 100 catches for 1,425 yards and 13 touchdowns. He’s added another three scores in six playoff contests.

It was reported last week, however, that Gronkowski remained undecided on his football future. He heaped praise on Joe Burrow and the AFC champion Bengals, leading to speculation that could be his next destination. Brady has since un-retired himself, though, so it is expected to be Bucs-or-bust at this time.

Given Tampa Bay’s current cap situation, the team wouldn’t be able to afford to bring Gronkowski back at the $9.25MM he averaged over his two years with the team. Should he choose to continue playing, though, Tampa would surely welcome him back.

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.

The Buccaneers will be without Rob Gronkowski for at least a little while. The veteran tight end will likely miss Sunday’s game against the Washington Football Team and could be sidelined for “about two or three weeks,” according to head coach Bruce Arians (Twitter link via SiriusXM).

“We think in about two or three weeks, he’ll be back to normal. Gronk is gonna get better, and [we’re] just gonna make sure he’s good when he comes back,” Arians said. “We think that next week is a better time frame for him [coming back]. We kinda pushed it with the New Orleans thing. I want him ready to go the whole distance when we’re ready to go.”

Gronk has already missed five games this season with a previous rib injury. This time around, it’s a recurrence of his previous back issues, so the Bucs are playing it safe.

Before the rib injury — and related lung issues — the 32-year-old was enjoying a hot start to the season, notching four touchdowns through the first three weeks. To date, he has 16 catches for 184 yards and four scores across four games.

Despite the setbacks, Gronkowski remains one of the game’s most dangerous tight ends when he’s healthy. Last year, the veteran registered 45 catches for 623 yards and seven touchdowns in a complete 16-game slate. Later on, he showed up big in the Super Bowl, leading all receivers with six grabs for 67 yards and two TDs en route to the ‘chip.

For now, the Bucs expect to see Gronk return no later than Dec. 5, when they face the Falcons in Atlanta.

Rob Gronkowski won’t be getting a homecoming in New England after all. The veteran tight end is not traveling to New England and will not play against the Patriots tonight, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

This injury may be a bit more serious than originally believed. After X-rays came back revealing minimal damage, a subsequent MRI revealed Gronkowski suffered multiple cracked ribs against the Rams and could miss multiple games, Schefter tweets. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com originally reported that the MRI and CT scan showed two breaks (Twitter link), but it was later discovered that Gronkowski actually has four cracked ribs, one broken rib, and a punctured lung (Twitter link via Jay Glazer of FOX Sports).

Gronk suffered the injury during last weekend’s game against the Rams, and after not practicing all week, he was listed as doubtful to play. However, head coach Bruce Arians kept the door open, saying Gronkowski would be a game-time decision. Alas, the veteran tight end won’t be suiting up for tonight’s showdown.

Still, Gronkowski is not expected to land on IR, as Greg Auman of The Athletic writes. Under the modified injured reserve rules, a player on IR need only miss three games before being activated, and including tonight, the Bucs play three games in 11 days. While it seems likely that Gronk will miss next Sunday’s bout with the Dolphins, he could be ready to go for the following Thursday night contest against the Eagles. Otherwise, Auman posits, the club could have parked Gronkowski on IR and kept a roster spot open for 2020 draftee Khalil Davis, who was cut yesterday.

While much has been made of Tom Brady‘s return to Gillette Stadium, Gronkowski also put together a Hall of Fame career during his stint with the Patriots. In nine seasons with the team, Gronk earned three Super Bowl rings while hauling in 79 regular season touchdowns, the most in franchise history. The tight end caught on with Brady and the Bucs last season and proceeded to win another ring.

The 32-year-old was having a hot start to the 2021 campaign, collecting four touchdowns through the first three weeks. Fortunately for the Buccaneers, the team should be fine without their starter, as the team is still rostering O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate.