Just over one month ago, NFL quarterback Tom Brady ended an era of dominance with his decision to leave the New England Patriots and sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady joined an offense with skill position players including wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, tight end O.J. Howard and running back Ronald Jones II. With an already potent offense at hand, Brady looked to bring in an old friend or two from his days in Foxborough to join the Buccaneers.
Last season, free agent wideout Antonio Brown publicly expressed his desire to reunite with Brady. This came after only one game as a Patriot, where Brown caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. However, Brown’s off-the-field antics would mean extra baggage for any team that decided to pick him up. That team would not be the Buccaneers, as head coach Bruce Arians shut down any chance of such a move when he declared Brown “not a fit here” in an interview with CBS Sports.
Since that point, it seemed that the Tampa Bay offense would stay put for the foreseeable future. Tuesday marked a major plot twist, though, as Brady ended up reuniting with one of his top Patriot targets.
Although he retired after the Patriots’ Super Bowl victory in 2019, tight end Rob Gronkowski indicated this month that he was ready to lace the spikes back up and return to the NFL. In a move simultaneous with his comeback, the New England Patriots traded Gronkowski and a seventh round draft pick to Tampa Bay in exchange for a fourth round draft pick.
The Brady-Gronkowski connection was undoubtedly one of the great quarterback-receiver combinations of the last decade. The duo has posted historic numbers since Gronkowski entered the league in 2010. Gronkowski also hauled in more touchdowns during the 2010s than any other pass catcher in football.
The kind of production that Tampa Bay will receive from the former Foxborough duo is definitely enticing, but also uncertain. Gronkowski will be 31 when week one rolls around, and Brady is no youngster entering the season at age 43.
Another note to consider is Gronkowski’s physical health. Despite his incredible production, he also suffered a series of major injuries, from a high ankle sprain in the 2011 playoffs to multiple breaks to his forearm in 2012. He continued this streak with a torn ACL in 2013, and has back injuries dating back to his collegiate career as well as numerous concussions. Gronkowski’s retirement certainly protected him from future damage that could have long-term effects moving forward.
The Buccaneers do not appear to be overly worried about Gronkowski’s injury history, as the deal became official on Tuesday.
Gronkowski’s departure from New England could be another case of needing a change of scenery. Just as Brady felt the need to leave Foxborough, Gronkowski told NBC Sports Boston that he “didn’t enjoy himself” during the 2017 season, which ended in a 41-33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2018 Super Bowl.
The reunion of Brady and Gronkowski should not come as a surprise to anyone. When trade rumors originally began in 2018 and Gronkowski was on the verge of being shipped to the Detroit Lions, he threatened to retire. He confirmed that story in a post-game press conference following a 26-10 loss at Detroit in September of 2018. “Yeah, it happened,” the tight end said. “Brady is my quarterback. I wasn’t going anywhere without Brady.”
Gronkowski kept his word, and Brady will continue to be his quarterback moving forward.
As for the New England perspective of the trade, a tweet from Adam Schefter of ESPN hinted that the Patriots may have been swindled in the deal, based on the prior market for the tight end. When the Lions attempted to acquire Gronkowski in 2018, they reportedly would have traded a first and second-round pick to New England in exchange. That comes in contrast to the fourth round pick they acquired in the actual deal with Tampa Bay. However, this comparison is not valid, as the trade scenarios occurred at two different times with two different outcomes.
In actuality, the deal does not crush the Patriots. Gronkowski has not been on the New England roster for over a year, so they are not losing a current contributing member of the team. In essence, the team simply upgraded from one of their previously held two seventh-round picks in exchange for an earlier pick now coming in the fourth round.
Gronkowski’s decision to ditch his retired life to return to the gridiron did come as a slight shock due to his rising status off the field. He has stayed in the spotlight in his year away from the game, with highlights including co-hosting New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey, contributing as an analyst with Fox Sports, throwing a Super Bowl beach party and even becoming the WWE 24/7 Champion. Despite all the fun he had this past year, the chance to team up in a new city with his friend and quarterback was an opportunity he would not refuse.
The trade formally marks the end of the “Gronk Era” in New England, and the rebirth of one of football’s most dangerous passing connections adds further hype to the upcoming season for the new-look Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Photo Courtesy of Maddie Meyer
