Rob Gronkowski says he almost signed with Bills before 2022 season

It appears stories from last March that linked tight end Rob Gronkowski with the Buffalo Bills were spot-on, after all. 

As shared by TMZ Sports, Gronkowski admitted on the latest edition of the "New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce" podcast that he considered signing with the Bills last winter after Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and "best friend" Tom Brady temporarily retired. 

"I was like, 'Ahh. Tom retired, I'ma check out some other teams,'" Gronkowski explained during the episode. "I was actually in talks with the Buffalo Bills a little bit. They wanted me to come up there."

The native of a Buffalo suburb (Amherst) teased in February days after Brady announced his retirement that he wanted to play with Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Instead, the 33-year-old ultimately embraced the second retirement of his career because the desire to continue playing "just wasn't there" following the 2021 campaign. 

"I would probably most likely be in Buffalo right now playing with the Bills," Gronkowski added about what could have been had he wanted to pursue a fifth career Super Bowl ring last offseason. 

Gronkowski also said that he was "p-----, kind of" when the Bills chose defensive tackle Torell Troup over the future Hall of Famer during the 2010 NFL Draft. 

The New England Patriots landed Gronkowski with the very next pick, and the rest is history. 

"I was like, dude, I could've just played for my hometown team, like, they don't have a tight end and they passed me at 41," Gronkowski remarked. 

Gronkowski has now revealed on multiple occasions he simply didn't have the itch to play this season. 

He hasn't, however, completely ruled out returning to the NFL later this year, and it's been suggested he could team up with Brady once more if a club such as the Las Vegas Raiders makes the pair offers they can't refuse. 

While Gronkowski is eligible to sign with any franchise, Brady is on track to hit free agency when the new league year opens in March. 

The Buccaneers reportedly "very much want" the 45-year-old back for at least one more season, but it's unknown if Brady will continue playing with Tampa Bay or any team past the ongoing postseason tournament.