Tom Brady’s future with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is uncertain after the play-off exit. A possible comeback by Rob Gronkowski could also become a factor – again.

Munich – Will Rob Gronkowski be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ ace in the poker for Tom Brady?

After the Bucs’ exit in the Wild Card Round against the Dallas Cowboys, the football world is puzzling over whether and where Tom Brady will continue in the NFL.

Is the 45-year-old quitting? Will the future free agent look for a new franchise? Or will he stay in Florida after all?

His long-time companion Gronkowski could serve as bait for the GOAT to stay with the Bucs. Because weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Times reported that Gronk and the Buccaneers were in talks about the tight end returning to practice at Thanksgiving in late November 2022 because he was “bored” with football retirement.

Gronkowski comeback for full 2023 season?

“It was more of a conversation than anything,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles commented on the reports at the time. “When you have to think about playing, you usually don’t want to play. Because it was just a discussion, I didn’t think much of it at the time.”

But as NFL journalist Dov Kleiman reports, the 33-year-old Gronkowski is said to be even thinking about returning for the entirety of next season – a potential gamechanger for Brady, too, who won four of his seven Super Bowl titles with Gronkowski as a kickoff man.

Rob Gronkowski: Retiring twice already

After sharing a Super Bowl victory with Brady during the 2021 season, Gronkowski announced in June 2022 that he was retiring from his career – for the second time.

He hung up his football boots as early as March 2019, then still a player for the New England Patriots, only to declare retirement just over a year later and be reunited with Brady in Tampa Bay.