Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement to fly south with his pal, Tom Brady.
After winning another Super Bowl together -- and their first with the Buccaneers -- Gronkowski is in no hurry to return to the freedom of retirement. The getting with Brady is just too good to quit now.
"I'll remain unretired. I'm a free agent," Gronkowski said, via the Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala. ... "But I definitely see myself coming back."
Gronkowski caught six passes for 67 yards in Super Bowl LV, including receptions of eight and 17 yards that both went for touchdowns. His two trips to the end zone were Tampa Bay's first two scores of the night, giving the Buccaneers a 14-3 lead midway through the second quarter with a connection that has proven to be all too familiar for the other 31 opponents in the NFL.
The Buccaneers' victory Sunday gave Gronkowski his fourth Super Bowl title in his career, tying for the third most all time. Sunday's win was Gronkowski's 16th career playoff victory, the most by a tight end in the history of the sport.
It also completed an incredible turnaround thanks to the addition of Brady and Gronkowski, taking the Buccaneers from a team that finished 7-9 in 2019 to 11-5 and a Super Bowl triumph in the 2020 season. They're just the fifth team to finish the previous campaign below .500 and win it all in the following season, with Brady being responsible for two of those rebound efforts.
This one, Gronkowski said, was special.
"Hands down, one of the greatest accomplishments in sports history," Gronkowski said of moving south with Brady and teaming up to win a Super Bowl, via the The Athletic's Greg Auman.
At 31 years old, Gronkowski has already learned what retirement entails -- commercial appearances, a Super Bowl weekend spent partying on the beach in Miami, and a temporary title belt won in the WWE -- but he's ready to return with Brady, coach Bruce Arians and the rest of the Buccaneers.
The theme for Tampa Bay in 2021 is already becoming clear: Run it back. We'll learn a year from now whether they can make it two in a row, but for now, one more Lombardi Trophy will have to do.
