Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht didn’t take the question seriously when he was asked if Tampa would have interest in adding Rob Gronkowski, who retired from the NFL last offseason.
“Well, he’s doing a pretty good job in Wrestlemania right now,” Licht said to reporters last week. “I have no idea if he’d want to play.”
Licht should find out. After bringing the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, the Bucs could also bring in a potentially rejuvenated version of one of the greatest tights end of all time, Gronk. And the logistics of a deal aren’t crazy. But there are some steps for the Buccaneers and New England Patriots to take. Gronk is technically still on contract with the Patriots for one more season, so they own his rights if he comes out of retirement. New England would need to release Gronk or trade him to Tampa.
Let’s break down the steps of how this could come together.
Why would Gronk come out of retirement?
Gronk has not ruled out a return to the NFL, but he has made it abundantly clear that his work in football wore him down. After Super Bowl 53, for example, he was experiencing sleepless nights due to extreme pain from a leg contusion. He was also finding he had huge mood swings, which led him to wonder about CTE. Even so, Gronk’s not completely done with the NFL.
“I wouldn’t say ‘never coming back,’” Gronkowski told ESPN in November 2019 “I’m 30 years old. I’m young. I still stay fit, still watch the game whenever I can, still enjoy it. I’m feeling good, but you know, one year off could possibly be the case. Or maybe two years off, man.
“It’s always an option in the back of my head. It’s not like I’m not staying in shape and not doing anything. I’m never stressed over it.”
Surely, Brady will be in Gronk’s ear to try to make a return. One of the biggest selling points might be that the tight end doesn’t have to play for Bill Belichick. Gronk and Belichick were at a tense point in their relationship in 2018, according to multiple reports. He clearly wasn’t having fun in his final season in New England. If Gronk had an opportunity to play for coach Bruce Arians, whose casual approach could appeal to the goofy and jocular Gronk, then perhaps he would be interested in engaging in the grind of the NFL season. Arians’ energy might be just what Gronk needs to love football again.
Why would the Buccaneers want him?
Even in a season when Gronk was battling injuries, unhappiness and retirement considerations, he had 47 catches for 682 yards and three touchdowns in just 13 games. He also made a handful of crucial catches in a Super Bowl win. From a yardage standpoint, his 2018 season was a better than Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard’s career-highs.
A declining Gronk can be even more more productive than either of those tight ends. Acquiring him should be an upgrade at the position, so long as he’s physically up to the task after a year away from the game.
The Bucs would just have to be careful about how the deal comes together — they’re in the power position. They don’t need to facilitate Gronk’s return. But they have been open to trading O.J. Howard for a “substantial offer” in the past, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. Gronk and a draft pick would probably qualify as substantial.
And why would the Patriots make the deal happen?
If Gronk came out of retirement, the Patriots would basically have no choice but to trade him. His salary would be too much for New England to fit under the cap. And so Belichick would quickly need to look for another partner. In fact, it’s likely that Gronk would discuss a hypothetical trade to the Bucs before he officially came out of retirement to ensure the proper trade happens. (Imagine a scenario where Belichick threatened to trade Gronk to Cincinnati.) If the Buccaneers put Howard on the table, however, the Patriots would be extremely interested.
I can’t help but think the Bucs are going to want one the Patriots’ third-round picks. Maybe Gronk has a monster season in 2020. But maybe he’s not physically able to handle the tolls of the season. Marshawn Lynch, for example, looked like he lacked juice in his return to Seattle last season. So if the Bucs are going to give up a high-upside youngster on a rookie deal (Howard), then they will want compensation. The Patriots, meanwhile, have a handful of sixth- and seventh-round picks. They might be more interested in dishing one of each. Maybe they’d meet in the middle: No. 125, the Patriots’ fourth-rounder. (New England doesn’t have a fifth-round pick.)
So will this really happen?
At this point, there’s probably a 30% chance it happens. There are so many moving parts. But if Gronk wants to unretire, the Bucs have the pieces to acquire him and the Patriots will have the motivation to deal him.
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