Yes, Rob Gronkowski is retired. No, that isn’t stopping any speculation regarding his possible comeback.
Former New England Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest was on the front lines when the tight end retired in March by immediately mentioning a potential return to the gridiron. Well, the NFL season begins in less than one week, but McGinest is not taking back his initial thoughts.
The three-time Super Bowl champ, now an analyst for NFL Network and NFL.com, appeared on WEEI’s “Dale & Keefe” on Tuesday and stood strong when asked if he wanted to take back his thoughts.
“Not at all,” McGinest said, via WEEI. “Not at all, especially when there is a huge need for (Gronkowski) at the tight end position in New England right now. He’s been doing some other stuff all offseason. He’s been involved in marketing and doing a lot of things and having a lot of fun, but at the end of the day when you are feeling good, when you’re 100 percent and you’re away from the game and you’re watching the game, and there’s an opportunity for you to come back and play, I think you take advantage of that. … I think at some point he is going to revisit playing with the New England Patriots.”
McGinest does have a point. With tight ends Benjamin Watson and Lance Kendricks suspended to begin the year, New England only has Ryan Izzo and Matt LaCosse active at the position. Bill Belichick often is a master at making something out of nothing, but the addition of Gronkowski certainly would make things a lot easier, to say the least.
The Patriots begin their title defense Sunday night at Gillette Stadium when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at 8:20 p.m. ET.
