Get ready for Gronk watch.
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement on Sunday. On Monday, his agent Drew Rosenhaus was already walking back the finality of Gronk’s career. Rosenhaus appeared on ESPN and suggested that Gronkowski was going to take some time to do non-football things. But Rosenhaus said he “wouldn’t be shocked if he came back to play a few games.” A call from a desperate Tom Brady might be all it takes.
And without a doubt, the Patriots’ pass-catching group is a bit desperate. Maybe, it’s just a matter of time before Brady begins courting Gronk.
It’s a long offseason with the Patriots building their team through free agency, trades and the draft. For now, their situation is somewhat bare at receiver and tight end without Gronk. Receivers Julian Edelman and Phillip Dorsett will be the team’s top options. If the Patriots retain Josh Gordon in restricted free agent and he can return from suspension, he will also be atop the depth chart. But that’s a lot of “ifs.” The rest of the depth chart, at receiver and tight end, is filled will unknown or unproven talent.
New England may need their hulking tight end at the end of the 2019 season if one of their marquee players ends up suffering a season-ending injury. Gordon could also return, only to have his suspension reinstated.
And it’s not like this is the first we’ve heard about Gronk’s un-retirement. Retired Patriots linebacker and NFL Network analyst Willie McGinest floated the idea of Gronk retiring with the thought of returning for a postseason run.
“I think Gronk is going to take a break for awhile,” McGinest said. “I don’t think he’s initially going to start off and come back. I think he’s going to figure it out. I think later on — and this is just my own assessment — later on, deep in the season he could possibly come back and play.”
Could it actually happen? Without a doubt, all eyes will turn to Gronk’s Instagram account if the Patriots come to a desperate place during the 2019 season.
