Sean Payton Jokingly Recruiting Fox Colleague Rob Gronkowski to Broncos

The future Hall of Fame tight end has proven restless in retirement.

New Broncos coach Sean Payton is starting from scratch. Denver limped to a 5–12 record in 2022, a miserable showing for a team that entered the season harboring playoff expectations.

Comedy, however, equals tragedy plus time. With last season in the rearview mirror for the Broncos, Payton took to Twitter to joke about bringing in a future Hall of Fame tight end turned Fox colleague for 2023.

"Let the recruitment begin!" Payton proclaimed Saturday afternoon, displaying a "Broncos" shirt crudely modified to spell "Groncos."

@Broncos @RobGronkowski @TomBrady @NFLonFOX
Let the recruitment begin! pic.twitter.com/2upP9h8qsx

— Sean Payton (@SeanPayton) February 11, 2023

Payton and former Patriots and Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski worked together for Fox this season. Former New England and Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady, a recent retiree, will begin working for Fox in 2024.

Despite the humorous nature of Payton's invitation, Gronkowski has proven restless in retirement. He returned in 2020 and after initially stepping away after the 2018 season, flirted with a return to the Buccaneers in Nov. 2022, and has been the subject of considerable speculation regarding a 2023 return.