Getty Rob Gronkowski
Tight end Rob Gronkowski shocked NFL fans Tuesday when he announced he would be coming out of retirement to play alongside teammate Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Enjoying a pretty successful, yet short stint away from the field, the 30-year-old will be lacing his cleats once again when the season kicks off this fall.
Now that the deal is official, Bucs fans will want to celebrate the occasion with Gronk’s new jersey. Problem is, another teammate already owns the number 87 shirt. For the low price of $1 million, however, he’s willing to give it to its arguably rightful owner.
Hey @RobGronkowski I’ll give you #87 for 1 million. 🤣
“Hey Ron Gronkowski, I’ll give you #87 for $1 million,” Tampa Bay tight end Jordan Leggett wrote Tuesday evening.
While Gronk has yet to publicly accept or deny the offer, one user did mention that he has no need to — looks like Leggett already surrendered number 87 himself.
Either Leggett didn’t anticipate anyone fact checking or he and Gronk reached an agreement shortly after his tweet. In any case, that minor conflict is settled.
One Bucs WR Gave No. 12 to Brady
Perhaps Leggett could have asked Chris Godwin how to properly handle this, considering the wide receiver faced a similar issue with Brady. Prior to his arrival, Godwin wore No. 12 since he arrived at Raymond James in 2017. Considering Brady has never played in a different shirt during his storied 20-year NFL career, most wondered if more than just his team would be changing next year. Thankfully, the two settled amicably and Godwin will officially be wearing No. 14.
The answer you’ve been waiting for…
Tom Brady: 1⃣2⃣
Chris Godwin: 1⃣4⃣
Speaking to the hosts of ESPN’s “First Take” in late March, Godwin hinted that he’d be willing to hand over number 12 to TB12.
“I’ve gotten that question a ton so far, but for me it comes down to a lot of respect. I have a ton of respect for Tom and for what he’s done. I’m still establishing myself. Because of that, I’m willing to defer that to Tom. If he really wants it, he can have it. It’s out of respect for him. I’n hoping that when it’s my time and somebody comes up, I get that same respect from the younger guy.”
While it’s unclear whether any monetary compensation was included in this transaction, there appears to be nothing but mutual respect between the two, as the 24-year-old confirmed he’d been in contact with his new play caller even before news of his arrival was revealed.
“I’ve talked to Tom a couple of times now, right before it was official and then when it was actually official, he reached out,” Godwin revealed. “We just chopped it up. We talked about introductions and getting to know each other and starting to build this relationship. It’s going to be a long journey. We’re hoping that it ends the way that it wants to end. We’re planting the seeds now for a successful journey and a successful relationship.”