The Latest On Rob Gronkowski's Retirement Status Raises More Questions
Should the Tampa Bay Buccaneers be bracing themselves for a double whammy in big retirement news? The Florida team received the news they probably didn't want on February 1 when Tom Brady, one of the most famous and decorated football players of all time, confirmed he'd be retiring.
"To my Bucs teammates the past two years, I love you guys, and I have loved going to battle with you. You have dug so deep to challenge yourself, and it inspired me to wake up every day and give you my best," Brady wrote in his lengthy Instagram post. "I am always here for you guys and want to see you continue to push yourselves to be your best. I couldn't be happier with what we accomplished together."
Of course, Brady led the team to the Super Bowl in 2021, earning the Sunshine State team its second win at the big game after a dry spell since 2003. But that wasn't all he did. The star was also largely credited for bringing more star power to the once fledgling team, as his former New England Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski even came out of retirement to join him in 2020.
But does Brady's retirement mean the Bucs can expect to say bye bye to Gronk too? Well, the team is speaking out after Gronk made it pretty clear in January that he wouldn't be making any big decisions in a hurry.
Will Gronk leave the Buccaneers?
There's been a lot of speculation about if Rob Gronkowski will stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Tom Brady's retirement, and that talk has only intensified after the Bucs' general manager, Jason Licht, explained the team decided to give Gronk some time to figure out what he wants to do next season.
"I don't think it was going to be [dependent] on whether Tom came back or not," Licht explained on February 1 while speaking to media after Brady's retirement, according to Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud. "We would welcome Rob back with open arms but we're giving him the space to determine what he wants to do," he added.
It's worth noting Gronkowski has never played on a team without Brady as the quarterback, though he previously shut down speculation suggesting the only reason he joined the Buccaneers was because of his longtime teammate's move.
Gronk called Brady heading to Tampa Bay the "appetizer," but claimed it was because of the most special lady in his life (alongside girlfriend Camille Kostek, of course!). "The main reason I came down to Tampa was because my mother lives two hours away. She can get to all eight of my home games," he explained on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in May 2020. "Whenever I have days off, she's two hours down the street and I get to see her." Adorable!
As for if that's enough for him to stick around? We'll have to wait and see!