Tom Brady apparently wanted to make sure Rob Gronkowski left Raymond James Stadium on Sunday with some extra cash in his bank account.
Gronkowski had a pair of $500,000 bonuses on the line in Tampa Bay’s regular-season finale against Carolina. If Gronk hauled in at least seven catches and racked up 85-plus receiving yards against the Panthers, he’d collect a cool $1 million in incentive money.
The future Hall of Fame tight end checked off the yardage box with plenty of room to spare, but he sat at six catches as the Week 18 contest drifted into the final minutes of the fourth quarter. The Bucs had a comfortable two-touchdown lead at the time and Tampa Bay coaches might have wanted to call it a day for Brady.
TB12, understanding what was at stake for his longtime teammate, had other plans.
CBS cameras were on the Bucs’ sideline after they forced a Panthers turnover with less than six minutes to play. Brady immediately grabbed his helmet after the fumble and appeared to say, “No, sit down,” to backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
Sure enough, Brady checked back into the game and hit Gronkowski for a 7-yard pass on the first play of the drive, sealing the $500,000 bonus. Gabbert took over under center right after and finished the game for the NFC’s No. 2 seed.
Gronkowski didn’t give Brady a shoutout of appreciation after the game. In fact, the six-time Pro Bowl selection doesn’t plan on inviting Brady to the dinner to celebrate the million-dollar payday.
Brady probably will be too busy with preparation anyway. The reigning Super Bowl champions on Sunday afternoon will host the Philadelphia Eagles for a wild-card game.
