What goes around comes around, Tom Brady.
Free agent Rob Gronkowski teased a possible return to the Buccaneers this week, days after quarterback pal Tom Brady announced he had unretired.
“It’s a very good chance,” the 32-year-old tight end said at a local Tampa barbershop.
Although the Buccaneers had previously expressed they’d welcome Gronkowski back with open arms, the five-time Pro Bowler joked how he wouldn’t mind seeing Brady, 44, squirm until he gives the official word on his NFL future.
“I’ll let him have a little scare, a couple months without me,” Gronkowski quipped. “He just did it to me for a couple months.”
Gronkowski, who first retired from the NFL in 2019 after nine seasons in New England, rejoined Brady in Tampa Bay a year later. The former Patriots teammates went on to win another Super Bowl together in February 2021, after the Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs.
Last season, however, the Buccaneers failed to repeat the magic of the 2020 and were bumped from the playoffs in January by the now-Super Bowl champion Rams. In the days following the Divisional Round loss, speculation ran rampant about Brady’s future. Then, on Feb. 1, the quarterback revealed he’d be stepping away from the game after 22 seasons.
“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention,” Brady posted on social media at the time.
Retirement living only lasted a whole for 40 days for Brady, who confirmed Sunday he’ll be returning to the Buccaneers this year.
“These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands,” Brady wrote on Twitter. “That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG.”
Will Gronkowski be by Brady’s side in 2022? Well, as they say, the third time is the charm.
