Tom Brady Issues ‘Warning’ To Rob Gronkowski’s Bucs Replacement

With Rob Gronkowski evidently very content in retirement, the Buccaneers went out and brought in a new veteran tight end Wednesday.

Tampa Bay signed Kyle Rudolph to a one-year contract less than a week before the team reports to training camp, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Rudolph, a second-round draft pick in 2011, is set to enter his 12th NFL season after playing 10 campaigns with the Minnesota Vikings and one with the New York Giants.

Tom Brady soon will become the best quarterback the 32-year-old Rudolph has ever played with by a pretty significant margin and perhaps one of the better teammates. But before the two even share a huddle together, Brady wanted to make something clear to Rudolph.

“Kyle Rudolph chose to play in Tampa despite the fact that former Michigan QB Tom Brady told his new tight end that he can’t be his first read because he went to Notre Dame,” Schefter tweeted Wednesday night.

Rudolph probably will rarely be Brady’s first read, but not because of the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s college football bias. The two-time Pro Bowl selection is set to join a loaded Bucs offense that features the likes of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Cameron Brate.

Not to mention, we probably can say there’s a non-zero chance Gronkowski returns to Tampa Bay at some point during the season, which would further push Rudolph down the pecking order.