Story update: Sean Payton’s tweet on Saturday was clearly a setup for a skit with Rob Gronkowski during Fox’s Super Bowl pregame show on Sunday. In the skit, Payton recruits Gronk to Denver. Watch it here.
It seems that new Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton likes to stir things up.
At the Super Bowl’s Radio Row last week, Payton created a buzz when he suggested the Broncos might pursue Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs during free agency. It was just a passing comment that didn’t seem to carry much weight — unless it did?
That’s the thing with Payton, it can be hard to tell sometimes when he’s fully joking and when he’s half-serious. The coach seems to like it that way.
The latest example arrived on Saturday afternoon when Payton posted a photo of a Broncos shirt with the “B” crossed out and replaced with a “G,” spelling “Groncos.” Payton even tagged Rob Gronkowski in his tweet.
@Broncos @RobGronkowski @TomBrady @NFLonFOX
Let the recruitment begin! pic.twitter.com/2upP9h8qsx— Sean Payton (@SeanPayton) February 11, 2023
“Let the recruitment begin!” Payton captioned the post, also tagging Tom Brady, the Broncos and the NFL on Fox. Payton is wrapping up his work with Fox this weekend. Gronkowski already works for the network and Brady will begin calling games for Fox in 2024.
Gronkowski is retired and out of contract, so Payton would be allowed to recruit him as a free agent. Brady is technically not officially a free agent until March 15, and he’s also retired. If Payton was serious about his recruitment, reaching out to Brady without permission could be penalized (just ask the Miami Dolphins).
It seems that Payton wasn’t serious — he was simply posting a fun tweet and tagging his colleagues at work. Gronk could return if he wants to, though, so the tweet, even if posted in jest, will cause some commotion.
That’s just the way Payton likes it.
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