Rob Gronkowski: Second unretirement will not happen

When Rob Gronkowski retired for a second time, even his agent suspected there could be a chance at another return if Tom Brady made a midseason pitch. Gronk attempted to shoot down Drew Rosenhaus’ speculation.

The future Hall of Fame tight end, who ended his first retirement to reunite with Brady in Tampa in 2020, said he would not unretire for a second time.

“I would answer, obviously, the greatest quarterback of all time, ask him how he’s doing, tell him I’m doing good. But I wouldn’t go back to football; no,” Gronkowski said (via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss; video link), when asked how he would respond to a Brady request for a second unretirement.

“I’m done with football. Love the game. Definitely blessed with all the opportunities the game of football has given me, and relationships — obviously here in New England for nine seasons and down in Tampa for two. But done with football and stepping my feet into the business world, business ventures, and just seeing what’s out there and where I can find my place.”

Gronkowski initially unretired in April 2020, with the Bucs acquiring his rights for a fourth-round pick. The All-Decade performer became instrumental to Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl LV run and re-signed with the team on a one-year, $8M deal that included incentives — ones Brady helped him reach late in the season. Gronkowski’s 802 receiving yards last season — in just 12 games — were the most he had accumulated since his 2017 All-Pro campaign.

Gronk, 33, was never able to fully capitalize on his talents, being tied to a Patriots extension signed in 2012 all the way through his 2020 Bucs debut season. (Though, the popular ex-NFLer has found a few other income streams.) It is unclear what the Bucs offered this offseason, but it was not enough to delay another retirement. While Gronk cannot be completely moved off the NFL radar, especially after Brady put off his own retirement to play again, the Bucs are set to enter training camp with Cameron Brate and two Day 3 rookies at tight end.