Rob Gronkowski thought about suiting up for an AFC Contender during the 2022-23 season

If Gronkowski had played this past season, it wouldn't have been with the Buccaneers.

There was hope that future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski would return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2022-23 season to provide a spark to the team. Instead, he elected to stay on the sidelines while longtime teammate and friend, Tom Brady, and the Buccaneers fell short in the NFL's Wild Card Round against the Dallas Cowboys.

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According to Gronkowski, the thought of a return definitely crossed his mind, it just probably wouldn't have been with the Buccaneers. During a recent appearance on the New Heights podcast, Gronkowski detailed his discussions to join an AFC Contender over the offseason.

In March, multiple publications projected the Buffalo native to return home. Instead, Gronkowski elected to step away from the game for a second time.

“I’m kind of a Buffalo bills fan now, again,” Gronkowski said on the New Heights podcast. “Now that I’m not playing no more I’m like, ‘dang.’ And I thought about it, how cool that would be to play for the Buffalo Bills, I actually thought about it when Tom [Brady] retired this year I was like, ‘Alright,’ I didn’t really feel like playing football after this year and I was like, ‘Ahh, Tom retired.’ I was like, ‘I’m gonna check out some other teams.’

“I was actually in talks with the Buffalo Bills a little bit,” he continued. “They wanted me to come up there. It just wasn’t there, though. If my mindset was there, I would probably most likely be in Buffalo right now playing with the Bills.”

In December, it was reported that the Buccaneers had multiple conversations with Gronkowski about a return but things never came to fruition. He's remained open to possibly playing in 2023, whether that means suiting up for Tampa Bay or another franchise.

During his career, Gronkowski has appeared in 143 games, with 128 starts, totaling 621 catches for 9,286 yards with 92 touchdowns. Gronkowski is a four-time Super Bowl Champion, five-time Pro Bowl selection, and four-time First-Team All-Pro selection.

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