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Rob Gronkowski probably knows Tom Brady better than most people in football.
The veteran tight end has played all 11 of his seasons in the NFL alongside Brady. That run will come to an end this season after Brady announced his retirement following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Although it hasn’t been two full weeks since Brady’s announcement, there’s been plenty of speculation that the 44-year-old quarterback could make a return. Some analysts have predicted that Brady will return this season, either with the Buccaneers or another NFL team via trade.
However, Gronkowski believes otherwise. The 32-year-old tight end believes Brady will make a return — but it’ll be in a couple of years. If Gronkowski’s prediction becomes true, that would mean Brady will be 46 years old when he makes his return. Brady initially set his target age for retirement at 45 years old before changing his decision recently.
“The guy can play at any age,” Gronkowski said. “If he’s 50 years old, he can still come back. I think he’s going to come back but in a couple of years. The guy’s a beast. He can play anytime.”
Brady on Potential Return: ‘Never Say Never’
The Buccaneers would certainly welcome back Brady if that’s the case. At the current moment, rookie Kyle Trask will be the only quarterback on the roster entering the offseason.
Brady ended the 2021 season as arguably the league’s best passer. Although he finished as a runner-up to the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers for the league MVP award, Brady led the NFL in completions, touchdowns and passing yards.
Other than the fact that Brady remarkably remained in the prime of his career at the age of 44, speculation of his return is not going to end anytime soon. Brady himself left the door open during a recent appearance on the Let’s Go! podcast with Jim Grey.
“You know, I’m just gonna take things as they come,” Brady said on his Let’s Go! podcast with Jim Gray. “I think that’s the best way to put it and I don’t think anything, you know, you never say never. At the same time I know that I’m very, I feel very good about my decision. I don’t know how I’ll feel six months from now. … But I try to make the best possible decision I can in the moment, which I did this last week.”
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Bucs May Not Find Suitable Replacement
Tampa Bay faces an offseason full of questions as they target Brady’s replacement. If the team fails to make a trade for a veteran quarterback, they’ll be forced to sign one in free agency. The problem is, the free agency class for quarterbacks is less than stellar.
The top quarterbacks on the market will be Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater and Marcus Mariota. All have question marks and less-than-stellar reputations. In the case of Winston, he washed out of Tampa Bay following the 2019 season after throwing a league-high 30 interceptions.
Bridgewater is probably the most consistent of the bunch. But he’s an average quarterback who takes care of the football by rarely taking any chances throwing the ball down the field. According to Pro Football Focus, Bridgewater’s 73.5 offensive grade ranked 20th among all quarterbacks. Bridgewater’s 7.2 yards per pass attempt ranked 16th in the league.
Mariota has served as a backup to Derek Carr for the Las Vegas Raiders over the past two seasons. The former No. 2 overall draft pick previously started with the Tennessee Titans, but fell out of favor in Tennessee after Ryan Tannehill replaced him back in 2019.
The Buccaneers’ potential replacements at quarterback are a little concerning. Tampa Bay also faces a number of key players hitting free agency in Chris Godwin, Leonard Fournette, Ryan Jensen and Gronkowski.
While Tampa Bay faces an offseason full of question marks, they’ll be hoping Brady’s retirement is a temporary one — not a permanent one.
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