Suddenly Rob Gronkowski has been in the news a lot lately. It all began on Tuesday when the future Hall of Fame tight end tweeted that he was bored. Of course, Gronk retired this past offseason and has instead spent his time away from the football field.
Yet, like many athletes who step away from the game, Gronk was using this latest attention grab to promote his partnership with FanDuel.
By Wednesday, the 33-year-old already reportedly had two NFL teams reaching out about his availability. While it appears Gronkowski won’t be returning to the gridiron this season, it’s not the first time he’s had thoughts of unretiring, according to one NFL insider.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rob Gronkowski discussions didn’t get far
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports Gronkowski, or perhaps his agent Drew Rosenhaus contacted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sometime back in November. They even got so far as to discuss whether the five-time Pro Bowl player would begin by joining the practice squad or just sign straight to the 53-man roster.
Ultimately, as we know, Gronkowski opted to remain retired.
Even head coach Todd Bowles had a comment on the matter, and it doesn’t sound like the talks were too serious.
“It was more of a conversation than anything else. Usually, when you have to think about playing, you probably don’t want to play. When it’s just a discussion, I didn’t think much of it at the time.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles on Rob Gronkowski (H/T to Pro Football Talk)
Even when Gronkowski retired for the second time in his career, it never felt final. Perhaps this time, it is.
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