Realistic reasons why Rob Gronkowski to the Buccaneers works

The Rob Gronkowski rumors have started to fly, and while many fans are quick to dismiss them, his pairing with Tampa Bay is not as outlandish as it seems.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have recently been linked to future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski. Many fans have already dismissed this as an impossibility, but that seems bold given the unbelievable situation that has already transpired in Tampa Bay over the past few weeks.

Tom Brady is the starting quarterback for the Buccaneers and many analysts are starting to consider the Bucs as one of the top teams in the NFC after missing the playoffs this past season and Rob Gronkowski coming out of retirement is impossible?

As with most rumors, this will likely not happen, but there are enough reasons why it is more possible than you may think.

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1. The Buccaneers are a business, and Gronk would be great for business.

It should be lost on no one that, above all else, the Buccaneers are trying to make money. In the eyes of the team, the Tom Brady jersey sales and season ticket frenzy that occurred after his signing were more valuable than keeping Jameis Winston long term.

This is completely leaving the football out of it, even though the general expectation is that Brady will post great numbers with the Bucs.

If the Buccaneers are making unbelievable money off of Brady, why would they not be incentivized to bring in one of his favorite targets ever, not to mention the greatest tight end ever?

Gronk’s jersey sales would likely rival those of Brady, and tickets would become that much more expensive to buy to see Tom Brady throw passes to Rob Gronkowski in Tampa Bay, even if they are both past their prime.

2. Rob Gronkowski would not be the first football player to return from early retirement.

The mere mention of Rob Gronkowski has people up in arms at the audacity of the suggestion that a football player could decide to return to the game, especially one that has dealt with the injuries that Gronk has.

It often defies reason, but we have seen many players leave the safety of retirement to come back and play. The love for football is a strong thing, especially for competitors that have a storied career.

In his retirement statement, Gronk seemed to have lost his love for the game, but some time out of the league could have him missing the feeling of playing. Rosy retrospective is a very real thing, and something that wasn’t great at the moment looks a lot better retroactively.

It is also possible that Gronk could see playing in Tampa with a close friend and a new team as a way to have fun and to rekindle his love for football. Bruce Arians may be a tough coach, but he is a fraction of the disciplinarian that Bill Belichick is.

3. The Patriots have every reason to trade Gronk.

One of the worst arguments against the validity of this move is that “the Patriots would never trade Gronkowski. If they did it would be for a first-round pick.”

What? The Patriots should be willing to trade Gronk for Publix sub that was bought on sale. As it stands they are getting nothing for him. If he was to return from retirement and ask for a trade to Tampa Bay, the Patriots have absolutely no leverage to hold on to Rob Gronkowski. If they say no then he would just retire again and the team is back to square one getting nothing.

Moving Gronk for a seventh-round pick would even be to the benefit of the Patriots as they would at least get something for their former star tight end, but the Buccaneers could offer slightly more.

4. Rob Gronkowski could easily get into playing shape.

Ever since his retirement, Gronkowski has slimmed down. While he is smaller than his last playing weight, it is laughable to assume that he is too small to return to football.

Go look at Gronk’s Instagram account and try to make the argument that he is too far gone physically to ever return to the NFL.

It is not out of the question for an NFL player to get back in shape after their retirement, especially when it looks like they have still been taking great care of themselves in the interim. Gronkowski’s workload would be less than his days with New England as he will have a capable option alongside himself, and he wouldn’t have to put on too much weight to protect himself.

With Gronk’s resources and training regiment, it would not take him long to get back into playing shape if he decided to return.

5. The Buccaneers have nothing to lose in reuniting Gronk and Brady.

Tampa Bay has two decent tight ends in Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard, but to pretend that either is top-tier is incorrect. Brate is consistent but has never been dominant and O.J. Howard has never played up to his potential. The Bucs could easily trade either player to free up some cap space as well as get some compensation back.

The Bucs want to give Brady every weapon possible, and if Gronk did want to come back and play with his former quarterback and Brady shared the sentiment, the move is a no brainer.

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are one of the best quarterback-tight end duos of all time, and even past their prime they still have the potential to be better than many duos that are still in their prime. If Gronk really is receptive, the Buccaneers would stop at nothing to make this happen, and they have the resources to do it.