Patriots: Rob Gronkowski addresses whether reunion with Tom Brady in Tampa was ‘planned’

Former Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski addressed his reunion with Tom Brady in Tampa.

It’s still wild to think that the Buccaneers acquired perhaps the best quarterback-tight end duo in NFL history within a span of five weeks earlier this offseason. As we know, Tom Brady spurned New England to test free agency, and ultimately join Bruce Arians’ pass-heavy offense in Tampa Bay.

A few weeks later, Rob Gronkowski, following a one-year retirement, was traded to the Bucs. While the five-time Pro Bowler admits that reuniting with Brady was among the reasons he wanted to come out of retirement, he recently revealed that the two superstars never conspired to play with each other in The Big Guava.

According to Gronk, the opportunity to join the Buccaneers simply presented itself and he jumped on it.

“No, no that actually was really never the case,” Gronkowski said. “As a player, you always want to see what it’s like somewhere else. I thought of that before definitely after playing nine years in the NFL and also thought about it when I came out of retirement. This is an opportunity to go see what it’s like somewhere else, to go see what it’s like in the NFL on another squad.”

Though we’re not sure when it clicked, Gronkowski seemingly had a longing desire to play football again. However, he didn’t want his return to the NFL to only be about ending his retirement. If the 31-year-old vet was going to make a comeback, he wanted to join a team that’s not only positioned to win a championship, but gave him the chance to realize what’s left of his potential (and also isn’t the Patriots).

Tampa Bay obviously filled that bill. The prospect of reuniting with the quarterback with whom he connected for 78 touchdowns across his career simply made Gronkowski’s decision a no-brainer.

Whether we believe that the two veterans weren’t in consistent contact throughout the process is a story for another day. The takeaway here is that the former All-Pro tight end was keen on an NFL return so long as it wasn’t in New England, and that should absolutely sting the Foxborough faithful.