Just when it seemed like a possible Tennessee Titans signing of tight end Rob Gronkowski was building steam, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady came out of retirement to ruin it.
Brady announced on social media last night that he would indeed play in 2022 after originally deciding to hang up his cleats last month.
I can’t say I’m surprised. After all, it was always thought there was a chance he’d return, and the Bucs not placing Brady on the reserve/retired list was another sign things weren’t settled there — but I digress.
Upon Brady announcing his comeback, that closes the door on any chance of Gronk playing in Nashville.
The veteran tight end, who came out of retirement in 2020 just to team up with his buddy, Brady, will almost assuredly want to reunite with him once again, taking Gronk off the board in free agency.
And with that, yet another free-agent option is off the table for a Titans team that desperately needs an upgrade at the position.
Three other tight ends who were set to hit free agency, Dalton Schultz, Mike Gesicki and David Njoku, were all franchise-tagged, and another, Zach Ertz, was re-signed by the Arizona Cardinals.
The Titans will now turn their focus to the next tiers of tight ends, a list that includes guys like C.J. Uzomah, Kyle Rudolph, Gerald Everett, Maxx Williams, and Mo Alie-Cox.
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