Gronk coming out of retirement to join old Super Bowl pal Brady with Bucs
Is it really a surprise that Rob Gronkowski has un-retired to become a Buccaneer in Tampa Bay with Tom Brady?
Or did the best tight end-quarterback combination in NFL history plan this out all along?
The latter is certainly plausible. Gronkowski had a lot of great football left in him when he hung up his cleats at the age of 29 after the 2018 season. He just needed to heal his battered body.
Apparently, the aches and pains have subsided, and he’s now good to go again. But under the easy Florida sun rather than the bitter New England cold.
Somewhat shocking is how fast it all came together, from the moment the story of Gronk’s interest in playing again broke, to the time the deal was done. Even more so is that, in acquiring arguably the best tight end of all-time, the Bucs had to part with only a fourth-round pick. They even talked the Patriots into sending a seventh back with Gronk. Real pirates would be proud of such a steal.
As his targets now, the GOAT will have two of the top five or six wide receivers in the league in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, as well as the only tight end in history to catch 10 or more touchdown passes in a season five times.
What will the oddsmakers have as Tampa’s chances of winning the Super Bowl now?
Gronkowski, who had one year and US$10 million left on his contract with the Patriots, had told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport it would take him a month to get ready to play again. He looked like he was in pretty good shape when we saw him flying from a high balcony at Wrestlemania and playing basketball with his “invisible quarantine friend Lebron.”
As a rejuvenated 31-year-old when the 2020 season is scheduled to start, the best of Gronk may yet be to come. Combined with Brady and coach Bruce Arians’ offence, that could be scary.
THE FISH TANK: Not so long ago, exasperated fans of the Miami Dolphins were urging a “Tank for Tua” in hopes Alabama’s star quarterback could turn their team around. Despite trading their No. 1 quarterback (Ryan Tannehill), one of the league’s best offensive tackles (Laremy Tunsil) and their star safety (Minkah Fitzpatrick), the Fish still couldn’t land in the NFL basement and win the top choice that comes with it. But with the fifth choice on Thursday, they’ll still end up with Tua Tagovailoa if Charles Davis’ mock draft holds true. Davis said Tuesday on the NFL Network that, if healthy, Tagovailoa is “a perennial legitimate Pro Bowl selection each and every year. This kid has everything you’re looking for.” … Sounds like the injury history is the only reason Tagovailoa isn’t sharing 1-1A status with Joe Burrow. It is considerable. Since 2018 the lefty QB has suffered a broken finger, sprained knee, quadriceps injury and two high ankle sprains before his 2019 season was ended prematurely with a dislocated and fractured hip. On Tuesday, the doctor who fixed the hip told NFL Network’s Steve Wyche it won’t be a problem going forward. “No, he’s not susceptible to injury,” said Houston surgeon Dr. Chip Routt. “We have a nice repair that should lower the chances of arthritic damage as he gets to be an old man. ” In 32 games over three seasons at Alabama, the six-footone, 218-pound Tagovailoa posted ridiculous numbers. He threw 87 touchdown passes against just 11 interceptions. He completed 69.3 per cent of his passes for 7,442 yards. People have called Tagovailoa a left-handed Drew Brees. … Coincidentally, a story in The Wall Street Journal had Nick Saban — who was coach of the Dolphins when Brees was a free agent — telling teams not to make the same mistake he did. “We failed Drew Brees on the physical … that’s why he’s not Miami’s quarterback,” said Saban.