Buccaneers Don’t Expect Rob Gronkowski to Return to NFL, per Report

The team reportedly believes the tight end’s playing days are over.

Rob Gronkowski has come out of retirement before but it appears this time he’s truly done with football. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Buccaneers are not expecting Gronkowski to return this season. 

The star tight end announced his retirement in June after 11 seasons in the NFL. He first retired in 2019 after playing his whole career with the Patriots and Tom Brady but came out of retirement for the 2020 season to join Brady in Tampa. The organization hoped he’d do the same again but it’s unlikely. 

In the highly-unlikely scenario Gronkowski returns to the NFL, the situation would have to be perfect, per ESPN. Meaning, the team would need to be competing for a Super Bowl. 

The 33-year-old is one of the best tight ends to ever live and has won four Super Bowls, all with Brady. It appears he has finally let go of football, but it’s a long season. 

The Buccaneers are slated to start their season Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. ET against the Cowboys on NBC.