Tom Brady Talks Rob Gronkowski’s Absence From Buccaneers

Believe it or not, Tom Brady doesn’t just have issues off the football field. He and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a big area to address heading into the 2022-23 regular season.

Rob Gronkowski announced his (second) retirement from football in June, ending a historic run of dominance spent entirely alongside Brady. His departure from Tampa Bay has left a hole at tight end, and seemingly in the heart of his former quarterback.

“You’re missing someone that was one of the all-time greats, which is, you know, you can’t replace that. And we all love him, but we miss him and he just decides not to play,” Brady said on his “Let’s Go” podcast, as transcribed by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “So he’s retired, so we’ve had to, you know, move on to try to, you know, solve some things without him. And, you know, we’ve done a good job. 

“Cam Brate’s taken on a big role. Kyle Rudolph, we’ve got. We drafted a few young players. So that position, although it’s different without Gronk, you know, we’re gonna have to go out there and earn it, and earn the respect of everyone by our work, and by our performance. So I’m excited to see what we can do. And, you know, I’m never one to make a bunch of predictions, other than, you know, we’re gonna work hard to get it right. And it’s not gonna be perfect all the time. It’s got to be perfect enough to win.”

While Gronkowski was far from his prime self in 2021, Brady familiarity with him made him a top target throughout the season. Gronkowski finished top three in targets (89), receiving yards (802), receiving touchdowns (six) receiving first downs (34) and yards after catch (350). The 33-year-old tight end has insisted that he’s staying retired this time, but his former agent Drew Rosenhaus has hinted that a return could be possible.

As a free agent, Gronkowski could return to football at any time this season. That means he could stroll into Tampa Bay ahead of the postseason and join the Bucs for another Super Bowl run if he wanted to. Football fans should know by now, never say never when it comes to Brady and Gronk.