Rob Gronkowski said that Tom Brady played a huge role in his decision to come out of retirement in 2020.
Rumors of a second Gronkowski return to NFL emerged on Tuesday, although these have now been dismissed has false. However, he did make the dramatic decision to return to the NFL five years ago, teaming up with Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The tight end enjoyed a stellar eight-year career with Brady and the New England Patriots before initially hanging his cleats up at the end of the 2018 season with three Super Bowl rings to his name, citing an impact the game had taken on his physical health.
However, Gronkowski made the shock decision to come out of retirement the following year, announcing that he would be once more teaming up with Brady at the Buccaneers. And 'Gronk' also shared that the star quarterback played a pivotal role in his return to the big leagues, telling media in 2020: "I would have definitely looked at the opportunity [to go back to the Patriots if Brady was there].
"At that moment when he was going through that free agent process, I was interested to see where he was going to go. That's his decision to make, I'm not a guy that's going to sit there and try to put pressure on him. Playing for Tom is special. He's one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
"To build a connection with a quarterback, too, is something special. You've seen it many other times with many other players, they can switch teams and they might not have the same chemistry as they've had with one of their other quarterbacks.
"We have a great chemistry out there and every time we get together it's just like the old days. It doesn't matter if we take a month off or six months apart, we just go out there throwing the ball just like it's a normal practice. It just happened to be the right opportunity I feel down in Tampa.
"Tom is like the appetiser of the whole meal. He got me hooked when he went down to Tampa. I saw what was down there, just the opportunity to go down there and play with that type of offence. They've got some special wide receivers out there, they've got some other great tight ends.
"Let me tell you, I love working with tight ends too. So I'm definitely looking forward to that. Just blessed to have this opportunity." Gronkowski enjoyed two seasons with the Buccaneers between 2020 and 2021, snagging a fourth Vince Lombardi trophy alongside Brady at Super Bowl LV - in which the Floridian outfit walked over the Kansas City Chiefs with a score of 31-9.
And while the idea of Gronk playing alongside rookie QB Bo Nix and Defensive Player of the Year, Pat Surtain II comes across as tantalizing to many football fans, these rumors have since been rubbished by NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Instead, it seems as though Gronkowski will return to his analytical duties with FOX for the 2025 season, after impressing with the broadcaster during this month's Super Bowl LIX showing between the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Gronkowski joined FOX during his initial retirement in 2019, making his on-air debut on the FOX NFL Thursday show, and has since returned after hanging-up his cleats with the Buccaneers in 2022 - once more teaming up with Brady, albeit from the side-lines this time.
