Big tight end brings even more star power to the Buccaneers, but will he be dominant?
Fans will benefit from return of Gronkowski the player, the personality
New digs for Tom Brady translated into an end to retired life for one of his most beloved targets.
After a year away from the game, Rob Gronkowski is set to make a comeback as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Brady’s new team and his old group, the New England Patriots, worked out a trade for the tight end Tuesday afternoon. Gronkowski is under contract for one season and $10 million, the remaining portion of his existing deal with the Patriots.
Thus intensifies the intrigue that has already engulfed the Bucs after the National Football League’s most decorated quarterback took his talents to Tampa a month ago.
There are few closer bonds in sports than the one Brady and Gronkowski shared both on and off the field during their nine seasons together in New England, so this reunion makes all the sense in the world. The only question is what kind of a player Gronk is after a year away from the game.
When he retired following the Patriots’ sixth Super Bowl victory under Brady and coach Bill Belichick, Gronkowski by his own admission was beaten and broken, both mentally and physically. Although physically imposing, the six-foot-six tight end, who played at around 268 pounds for his career, gutted it out through a litany of injuries to his back, forearm, knees and ankles, as well as multiple concussions. The game was no longer enjoyable to the player who seemingly had more fun on and off the field than anyone else in the league.
“I felt like I had to get away from the game and focus on my health,” he said last fall on HBO. But Gronkowski did say that, if he felt his passion for football return, he would pursue it. Now, he is.
Gronkowski has appeared noticeably slimmer since stepping away and could have to bulk back up to some degree. He likely has rust to knock off, too. This past season, we saw Jason Witten struggle to regain his top form during his return from a one-year retirement. But Gronkowski, at 30, is far younger than Witten, 37, so it’s possible that his transition will unfold more easily. A year away also could have allowed his injuries to heal more effectively.
Gronkowski wasn’t as dominant during his final season as he had been in previous campaigns, hauling in 47 catches for just 682 yards and three touchdowns, down from the 69 receptions for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns he logged the year before.
Given the re-acclamation process that he could undergo, his production could fall somewhere between those two outputs. But given the wealth of weapons that the Bucs have — Pro Bowl wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin lead the way — Tampa Bay might not need the same type of production from Gronkowski that the Patriots required for their offence to thrive.
Evans and Godwin will likely command attention that will help Gronk avoid the frequent double-teams he faced in New England, and his presence in turn could create more one-onone matchups for the receivers.
It will be interesting to see what the Bucs do with tight end O.J. Howard, who still is emerging entering his fourth season. The Bucs did utilize Howard and Cameron Brate together at times and, given Gronkowski’s injury history, the team’s decision-makers could opt to hold on to the former first-round pick as an insurance policy, unless teams come calling with handsome offers. There’s never such a thing as too many weapons, and coach Bruce Arians and offensive co-ordinator Byron Leftwich certainly boast the creative skills to find ways to involve all of their weapons.
One thing is for sure: Gronkowski’s fun-loving style should mesh well with that of Arians, who is regarded as a players’ coach.
But, above all, if Brady is happy, then the Bucs are happy.
And, if Gronkowski is healthy and able to regain his highlightreel form, the NFL and its fans certainly will benefit from the return of Gronk the player and Gronk the personality.