Rob Gronkowski “will rejoin” Patriots eventually, reporter proclaims

A reporter – who claims to have sources with knowledge of the situation – swears that Rob Gronkowski will one day return to Patriots; “count on it.”

Will he or won’t he?

That seems to be the big question looming over the New England Patriots‘ offseason this year. There’s a Rob Gronkowski-sized shadow covering the practice fields during the Pats’ mandatory minicamp this week, and it’s not going away anytime soon.

Gronk recently made an appearance at a charity event held at Gillette Stadium, where he was asked the same question he’s been getting for months now just about every time he steps out in public or interacts with a reporter.

If he’s tired of being asked about rumors of a comeback, he didn’t let on the other day. The big tight end laughed, smiled, threw up his hands in mock exasperation… and then confidently said it was time to put those rumors to rest.

Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman isn’t buying it – not for a minute. Freeman recently opined in his “10-Point Stance” column that several of his sources, some of whom are reportedly intimately connected to the Patriots, believe that Gronkowski will indeed return at some point in the 2019/2020 NFL season.

“The belief is that once the season gets going, and Gronkowski starts missing football, he will rejoin the team,” Freeman wrote. “It’s not just a hunch, sources say; you can count on it.”

Obviously this isn’t the first time there has been public speculation that Gronkowski will change his mind eventually on the retirement decision that sent shockwaves around the league this past March. He’s one of the greatest to ever play tight end, he’s only 30 years old, and he only had nine years in the NFL.

Yes, he has spent the majority of his football career playing through pain and a menagerie of injuries. He also has an infectiously-charming personality and multiple interests outside of the NFL that can sustain him in a post-football world.

Still, though, it’s fair to wonder that if the Patriots struggle this year at all offensively – or maybe even if old pal Tom Brady comes calling – maybe, just maybe, Gronk could be convinced to return. Especially if he’d get to forgo an entire offseason’s worth of training camp, workouts, preseason, etc., and only return in time for a late playoff push, perhaps there’d be incentive enough for Gronkowski to return.

At least according to Freeman and his sources, we should all stop wondering about “if” and start planning for “when” instead, as a Gronkowski return to the Patriots is something we can “count on” this season.

Here’s hoping!