Former Patriots and Bucs star Rob Gronkowski says there’s one coach who could get him to unretire. Who is it?
Having come out of retirement once before, it’s only natural that his recent comments drew attention, but could the legendary tight end actually return?
From the New England Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, few tight ends have achieved what Gronk has and quite frankly few ever will, which is precisely why the prospect of him playing once again is enough to set tongues wagging.
Rob Gronkowski says there’s one coach who could get him to return
Earlier this week, former NFL star Rob Gronkowski made some rather interesting comments on “Up & Adams” while speaking to Kay Adams. While speaking about the possibility of playing again Gronkowski who is now retired said “[New York Giants head coach] Brian Daboll wants me on his roster, I know it.” Indeed, he even went on to explain that he enjoys entertaining the idea of playing again, though the reality of what that would look like is somewhat different.
“I love to pretend that I can still play. It makes me feel good. But no, I can’t – I’m washed up. But I just like to pretend,” Gronkowski said. At that point, the four-time Super Bowl champion was asked if there was anyone at all who could get him to take the field once more, to which he responded, “Brian Daboll.” Clearly aware of the effect his words could have, Gronk then clarified by stating that he wouldn’t actually return but if ever that were to be the case, it would be for Brian Daboll. “He can’t get me out of retirement, but he would have the best chance to get me out of retirement.”
But Rob Gronkowski unretired once before, right?
Yes, he did. It was back in 2020 when his former partner in crime with the New England Patriots and legendary quarterback, Tom Brady, was playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If you didn’t know, Gronkowski retired the season before in 2019 after playing nine seasons in New England. Together the pair got their hands on another Super Bowl trophy at which point the Gronk said goodbye once again. This is to say that the chances of a second return are probably a little far-fetched, but we can hope.
As for the man himself, when asked about the prospect of playing with Darren Waller, Gronkowski couldn’t hide his interest as he acknowledged the idea of two tight ends in an offense being a rather unique notion. “That would be pretty wild,” Gronkowski said. “I always believe that having two tight ends; it makes the defense have the most difficult times. If you have two tight ends, I think that could make the offense unstoppable. And it’s rare if you go back to my days when I had another tight end with me, it just makes the offense prolific, unstoppable, it gives you so many more options in the run game and the pass game and play action.”
The Gronk remembered
Though we’re sure this is all just rhetoric, it’s still nice to think about what Daboll would be getting if Gronk decided to come back. Across his career, Gronkowski played in 142 regular-season games, with 621 receptions, 9,286 yards, and 92 touchdowns as he set several records such as most receptions by a tight end in a Super Bowl (23), most receiving yards by a tight end in a Super Bowl (297) and was also the first tight end with 1,000-plus postseason receiving yards. If that wasn’t enough, he also was a four-time first-team All-Pro, a five-time Pro Bowler, and was named Comeback Player of the Year in 2014. Gronk is and will always be missed.