Tom Brady will be back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season. We still don’t know whether he’ll have his superstar tight end with him.
More than two months removed from the Bucs’ season-ending playoff loss to the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams, Rob Gronkowski has yet to reveal whether he plans to play in 2022.
Gronkowski told TMZ Sports he avoided catching passes at a recent charity event because he wasn’t “ready to commit” to football.
“I knew if I started catching some passes that my head would have started turning, like, ‘Oh, crap, I got to get back out on the field,’ ” the former New England Patriots star said. “And right now, I’m not ready to get back out on that field. I’m not ready to commit to the game of football right now.”
Gronkowski is coming off a strong season for Tampa, tallying his most catches (55) and receiving yards (802) since 2017 despite missing five games with injuries. His contract expired last month, making him an unrestricted free agent.
When Brady ended his temporary retirement after just six weeks, it was widely assumed that Gronkowski would re-sign with the Bucs to continue playing with him. But that has yet to happen — and Gronk’s final decision might still be several weeks away.
The soon-to-be 33-year-old indicated to TMZ that he likely won’t make an announcement on his status for the upcoming season until after his Gronk Beach party, which will be held in Las Vegas on April 29.
“I’m not signed,” Gronkowski said. “I’m not retired, but I’m not signed with a team. So I’m going to have plenty of time to recover if I ever go back to football. That’s what’s so great about it.”
Cameron Brate and Codey McElroy are the only tight ends currently under contract with Tampa Bay.
