Sunday’s Week 18 game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers had the potential to be a lucrative one for tight end Rob Gronkowski, and Tom Brady was extra determined to make sure the pay day happened for his longtime teammate.
Gronk went into the game with the possibility of hitting $1 million in incentive bonuses. All Gronk needed was seven catches and 85 receiving yards to hit two separate bonuses of $500,000 each.
While Gronk hit the yardage bonus early in the second half on a 42-yard catch, he remained one reception shy of that final bonus with under seven minutes to go in the 14-point game. And the Bucs were about ready to pull the starters at that point with the No. 2 seed locked up.
Well, Brady wasn’t coming out of the game until Gronk got the full $1 million.
Tom Brady didn't want to get out of the game until he got Rob Gronkowski one more reception for a $500K incentive. pic.twitter.com/B3HdJnf0E8
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 10, 2022
CBS footage on the sidelines showed Brady retrieving his helmet and telling the coaching staff that he wasn’t coming out of the game. He still had work to do.
Moments later, Brady got Gronk the full bonus with a short pass near the sideline. And just ignore Tony Romo’s semi-botched call of the moment because it was $500,000 on the line — not “50 grand.”
And right after Brady got Gronk his bonus, he came out of the game for Blaine Gabbert. It really was about the bonus.
Gronk finished the game with seven receptions for 137 yards and an extra $1 million in his pocket. The Bucs won, 41-17.
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