Rob Gronkowski believes Tom Brady is truly done with the NFL and admitted he was ’shocked’ to hear the legendary quarterback was considering another return to the league.
Brady won an unprecedented seven Super Bowls over an illustrious career that spanned two decades with the New England Patriots - where he won six of his championships - and three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning Super Bowl LV. As a result of his longevity and unprecedented success, the former quarterback is considered by many to be the greatest in NFL history.
After announcing his retirement last month, Brady was seemingly preparing for the next chapter of his life where he will enter the commentary booth with FOX Sports after signing a blockbuster deal with the broadcaster last year. The network signed a 10-year contract worth $375million (£306m) when he made his original retirement 12 months ago.
The 45-year-old reportedly informed the broadcaster he will get to work in the booth in the 2024 season, giving himself a year away from the game to get used to retirement - but reports and rumours began to surface which indicated Brady is not yet done with the NFL.
However, his long-time friend and star teammate Rob Gronkowski admitted he was incredibly surprised when he heard Brady was considering a return to the NFL. The pair linked up for a successful run with the New England Patriots before the tight end followed the iconic quarterback to the Buccaneers to win another championship.
“That was a surprise when I saw that news,” Gronkowski told Boston.com. “It actually put me on my toes. I was very shocked when I saw that.
“I feel like Tom is definitely totally done playing. I haven't talked to him or anything about it. I'm not speaking for Tom. Just from everything I saw from his retirement video and everything I just feel like he is just done playing football.
“It was just very shocking though when I heard that news the other day.”
The speculation began when Rich Eisen claimed Brady’s potential return was the wildest rumour he heard during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week. He suggested to ‘keep an eye on Miami’ only for the Miami Dolphins to pick up Tua Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option through 2024, which means the franchise are set with a quarterback for the immediate future.
Brady addressed his future amid the rumours on social media, when he re-posted a report suggesting he was considering a return in 2023 along with the caption: “Anyone who thinks I have time to come back to the NFL has never adopted a 2 month old kitten for their daughter.”
For now, Gronkowski - and plenty of fans around the world - would be surprised if Brady pulls off his latest career u-turn. This is the NFL though, so never say never.
