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Retired Rob Gronkowski sparks rumors of comeback: 3 ideal landing spots

Rob Gronkowski
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Rob Gronkowski is a goofball, and we mean that in the most lovable way. He’s like a large child that just doesn’t show his age, always having an absolute blast on and off the football field.

Having retired prior to the start of the season, Gronk could already be getting tired of the post-football life. This isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, as the 33-year-old tight end tried this already, retiring in 2019 before coming back to rejoin Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

We haven’t heard much from Gronk this season, aside from his various media appearances and pop-ins during Fox Sports’ pre-game shows, but he may be getting ready to step back into the spotlight in a major way.

Or maybe he just wants some attention. Who knows with this character?

Related: 2022 NFL offense rankings: Detroit Lions continue rise heading into Week 16

Potential Rob Gronkowski landing spots

NFL: NFC Wild Card Playoffs-Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

We never know what to believe when athletes make these cryptic comments on social media, but like Gronk, we like to have fun. If the five-time Pro Bowl pass-catcher wants back in, which team would he sign with? Here are a few purely speculative destinations for the four-time Super Bowl champion.

Cincinnati Bengals

Before free agency opened this past offseason, when Gronkowski was set to be an unrestricted free agent, he mentioned Joe Burrow as the quarterback he’d like to play with, if not TB12. With the season the Cincinnati Bengals are having once again, it wouldn’t shock anyone if Gronk has his eye on the tiger.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

You didn’t think we’d forget about his bond with Tom Brady, did you? No other pass-catcher has caught more touchdowns from TB12 than Gronk. He’d be a natural fit to take over as the starting tight end, and obviously already has a strong rapport with Brady, it would only be about getting the timing back down and getting his conditioning ready to play NFL football.

New York Giants

This one comes out of the left field, but it could make sense for a number of reasons. The G-Men are currently on track to make the playoffs have a desperate need to improve their cast of receivers, and play in the NFL’s largest market, giving Gronkowski plenty of endorsement opportunities, both locally and nationally. If Beckham Jr. wasn’t the right fit, maybe Gronkowski could be. Plus, the 11-year vet could teach rookie Daniel Bellinger a thing or two about tricks of the trade.

The biggest connection of all, linking Gronk to Big Blue, is his ties with head coach Brian Daboll. He coached Patriots tight ends from 2013-16 when Gronk posted two 1,000-yard seasons.

It’s hard to see many other landing spots for the talented 6-foot-7 tight end unless he wants to play second fiddle. The Bills may be close to home, but Dawson Knox is performing at a high level, coming off a season-high 98 yards. In Dallas, we see the same story with Dalton Schultz just a week removed from his season-high effort against Houston.

New England is his old stomping grounds, but they’re on the outside of the playoff picture, for now. If Gronk returns, you can be sure it will be for a playoff-bound team and one that passes the ball a lot.

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