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Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski’s future is up in the air.
The Buccaneers’ season is officially over following their disappointing 30-27 loss versus the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. While most of the chatter will center around 44-year-old Tom Brady’s future, another older veteran’s future is also uncertain moving forward.
That would be none other than the 32-year-old Gronkowski.
The veteran tight end has played each of the past two seasons on one-year deals after coming out of retirement following Brady’s arrival in Tampa. The question is, will Gronkowski return next season? And is his decision influenced by whether or not Brady will retire?
The 11-year veteran took to Twitter following the Bucs’ elimination and posted a cryptic message on social media.
“Year 11 in the books 📚 What a ride it’s been,” said Gronkowski. “Grateful to the Bucs for giving me an opportunity to play another year. To my teammates, thank you for giving everything you had. The sweat we shed & memories made will never be forgotten. Thanks to the #Krewe too 🏴☠️
Year 12??? 👀”
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Gronkowski Speaks on a Bucs Future Minus Brady
Gronkowski caught four passes for 85 yards in the loss against the Rams. Despite missing multiple games this season due to rib injuries, Brady’s favorite tight end still finished with 55 receptions for 802 yards and six touchdowns. His receiving yardage was his best since the 2017 season.
With no immediate replacement on the depth chart — Cameron Brate is best suited as a backup, while O.J. Howard will enter free agency — the Buccaneers will surely welcome Gronkowski back if he doesn’t retire.
The 6-foot-6 tight end left open the possibility that he could return to play for the Buccaneers next year; even if Brady calls it quits.
“There could be a scenario like that,” Gronkowski told reporters, via 95.3 WDAE on Monday, January 24. “I will never throw anything off the board because you never know how anything is going to play out. It’s the NFL. It’s one of the craziest businesses out there. You see organizations just totally flip year in and year out sometimes.”
“I’m just going to really basically do what is basically best for myself in terms of the football world,” Gronkowski continued. “It’s basically going to be a decision upon where I’m at in a couple weeks.”
Brady Remains Non-Committal on Future
The topic of Brady potentially retiring is a realistic possibility.
Many had assumed the 44-year-old would play at least one more season through the age of 45. After all, the veteran quarterback has always spoke of his intention to play until 45 years old. That notion was further solidified when the seven-time Super Bowl champion inked a contract extension to play with the Buccaneers through the 2022 season.
However, that tune appears to have changed as of late.
During his latest appearance on the Let’s Go! Podcast, Brady left the possibility open of retiring.
“You know, every year I just have to make sure that I have the ability to commit to what the team really needs,” Brady said. “And that’s really important to me. The team doesn’t deserve anything less than my best. And if I feel like I’m not committed to that, or I can’t play at a championship level, then you gotta give someone else a chance to play. And, you know, we’ll see. You know, again, there’s a long time between now and the start of next football season. I’ve gotta really figure those things out, which is probably natural for anyone.”
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