Even though he’s retired twice from the NFL, teams haven’t stopped trying to pull future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski back out of retirement. The now 34-year-old hasn’t played an NFL snap since Jan. 23, 2022, but plenty of franchises still feel there are a few more touchdown catches left in the tank for the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers great.
According to Gronkowski, NFL teams kept calling him about a comeback, even as recently as this past offseason. Gronk revealed as much on Friday during an appearance on the Pardon My Take podcast.
So, which teams had an interest in Gronkowski?
Both had ties to Gronk, with the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders named as the two teams who called Gronk about an NFL comeback.
In New York, Gronkowski would have formed a tenacious duo with fellow Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller. He also would have reunited with Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who used to work with Gronkowski as the tight ends coach in New England.
Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, Gronk could have helped replace Waller, who was traded to the Giants this past offseason. Yet, he also would have had the chance to work with former Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels again, who was his offensive coordinator with the Patriots.
Looking back, it appears Gronkowski made the right call on avoiding both teams, as they’re both on pace to land top-ten draft picks. Then again, perhaps having a red zone threat like Gronk could have altered their destiny too. Either way, Gronkowski informed both teams he’s all done playing pro football.
Since his retirement, Gronk has managed to stay busy in various ways, including appearing on FOX broadcasts, where he works as an NFL analyst.
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