Rob Gronkowski Promises to Return If Buccaneers Sign One Key Free Agent

Gronk’s future in football remains undecided as.training camp approaches.

Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski remains undecided on his NFL future. But if the Bucs want the four-time Super Bowl champion back in the fold, they have one clear route to take: sign Julian Edelman.

“If Julian signs with the Bucs right now, I’m coming back for a whole year,” Gronkowski said on Sunday. “I was just with him last night, and he needs to sign with the Bucs.”

Gronkowski, who is currently a free agent, has spent his entire career playing with Tom Brady, so speculation about a potential return to Tampa Bay ramped up when Brady ended his retirement after a little over a month. Should Edelman also come out of retirement, a reunion of Brady’s favorite pass-catchers appears to be a near certainty.

Edelman, who turns 36 in May, last played in the NFL in 2020. He spent his entire career with Brady and the Patriots, winning three Super Bowl titles and earning MVP honors during Super Bowl LIII. He had three 1,000-yard receiving seasons with Brady, most recently in 2019.

Gronkowski will turn 33 in May and is coming off his best statistical season in years. In 12 games in 2021, he caught 55 catches for 802 yards—his highest in each category since 2017—with six touchdowns.

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