Bucs Gameday

Rob Gronkowski's agent updates his playing status following cryptic tweet

Gronkowski retired for the second time in his football career prior to the 2022 season.

Collin Haalboom

In this story:

Prior to the 2022 NFL season kicking off just a few months ago, gossip, rumors, and a variety of news-worthy narratives were surrounding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady’s retirement. Marpet’s retirement. Arians stepping down. Bowles being hired. Brady’s marital status. Jensen’s injury. The list of storylines surrounding the Buccaneers coming into this season was longer than the number of weeks it's been since Mike Evans caught a touchdown.

Maybe the most interesting one of them all was the final saga of future Hall of Fame tight end, Rob Gronkowski. The veteran entered the offseason as a free agent and enjoyed his time away from the sport. Gronkowski eventually chose to announce his retirement for the second time in his career in June.

Since then, it's remained mostly quiet despite a lot of Buccaneers' fans hoping for a return. Well, until Wednesday night, when Gronkowski proclaimed on social media that he was bored.

In the aftermath, two teams reached out and Gronkowski's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, was forced to get involved.

According to AP's Rob Maaddi, Rosenhaus hasn't been informed that the 33-year-old has any plans to return to the playing field. 

That's a disappointing update for Tampa Bay, who is missing a safety valve like Gronkowski that star quarterback Tom Brady has utilized throughout his career in tough scenarios. In his final season with the Buccaneers, Gronk caught 55 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns while being limited to 12 games due to various injuries.

Through 14 games in 2022, veterans, Cam Brate and Kyle Rudolph, as well as rookies, Cade Otton and Ko Kieft, have combined for just 66 catches, 631 yards and three touchdowns. 

When Brady elected to unretire over the offseason, it seemed destined that Gronkowski would return for one final run. For now, he appears content with life away from the sport.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2022 season.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

Published
Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.