Rob Gronkowski expressed how he would not be returning to football while speaking with NESN.com last week, and it appears the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are taking the tight end at his word.
The Buccaneers signed veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph to a one-year contract, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday. The addition of Rudolph will give quarterback Tom Brady another pass-catching target with the longtime Minnesota Viking joining Cameron Brate atop the depth chart.
Might the addition of Rudolph signature Gronkowski’s retirement plans? Well, at the very least it shows the Buccaneers aren’t willing to wait and see if Gronkowski does in fact change his mind.
Gronkowski, who retired this offseason, has continued to field questions about potentially coming out of retirement with both his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and more recently his longtime girlfriend, Camille Kostek, fueling speculation.
While Gronkowski joked last week how he would pick up a mid-season phone call from Brady, he doubled down on the fact he would not return to the field even if the GOAT asked.
The Bucs found themselves a backup plan in the 32-year-old Rudolph, who has 49 career touchdowns in his 11 seasons in the league.
Of course, none of this is to say Brady and the Buccaneers wouldn’t jump through hoops should Gronkowski want to end his retirement. They would. Tampa Bay, as recently as last season, entered the campaign with a three-headed monster at tight end including Gronkowski, Brate and O.J. Howard. They’d surely be open to doing so again if Brady’s best-ever target wanted to make another Super Bowl run.
But if they’re listening to Gronkowski himself, which it seems the Bucs are, they shouldn’t hold out hope.
