Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is already looking to bolster his roster ahead of next season, and has tempted legendary tight-end Rob Gronkowski with a return to the NFL.
The pair were both at Super Bowl LVII on Sunday as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35, and were part of the broadcasting team for the event. Viewers noticed that the pair were with wearing orange ties which of course is the colour of Payton's new team - the Broncos.
Gronkowski has been retired since 2022, and just like Brady he initially came out of retirement before officially confirming that his time in the NFL was over. But that hasn't stopped Payton from giving Gronkowski a cheeky offer, and he's brought out a statistic to try and convince the star to return.
Payton and Gronkowski were both asked to pick their Super Bowl winners ahead of kick-off, but the pair joked around before doing so as they chatted about the Broncos. Gronkowski asked Payton why he'd been placed in an orange tie and a blue suit, and the new Broncos coach said: "Listen, it's my doing. Probably a little over the top.
"I've got a job at the Broncos for you, no training camp, and you're eight touchdowns shy of 100 touchdowns. I think I can get you that, and I might be able to call the Broncos."
Payton agreed to take on the Broncos role after spending a year away from coaching, as he took some time away from the New Orleans Saints and the NFL to fall in love with football again. Payton is excited to work with Russell Wilson and attempt to lead the Broncos back to the play-offs, but he will need some help.
Gronkowski is still only 33, and the four-time Super Bowl winner is as experienced as any when it comes to postseason football. However, Payton's attempts are unlikely to pay off, as Gronkowski has already claimed he's happy with his retirement, and he's enjoying life as a pundit.
"You know I really didn't have the itch (to return)," Gronkowski previously said this season. "I just had a couple thoughts throughout the 17 weeks of football. It was about week 10, week 11, week 12, right around there where I was thinking about it, but I really never got the itch. It was just a couple of thoughts.
"I'm not gonna ever go back to football if I'm just thinking about it and don't really have that itch. That trigger was not gonna be pulled to go back and play football this year. It was not there, man."
Sign up to our End Zone newsletter for all the latest NFL news and analysis!
