Rob Gronkowski probably isn’t playing for the Buccaneers in 2022 based on his recent comments, and that likely isn’t the worst takeaway from his quote.
Betting on Tom Brady to come back and save the Buccaneers is a near-impossibility in 2022, and hoping for a Rob Gronkowski return without Brady is inching closer to that level from a believability standpoint.
Gronk playing without Brady is already a weird thought, but apparently, Gronk isn’t completely closed off to the idea. Perhaps he just doesn’t want to play without Brady in Tampa.
A Gronk quote has been making its rounds on the internet for the past day after he was asked which quarterback he would like to play with in a league without Brady, and his answer was Joe Burrow.
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1491230391612678144?s=20&t=4bqfOGdsQJOY8MBLDtZlZw
Well, it looks like we can probably close the door on Gronk coming back in 2022, but that isn’t where the significance of this quote stops.
Speaking of young bucks, Gronk has been on the roster with Kyle Trask for a year, and he just completed year two with Gabbert, although he is no young buck for sure.
Regardless, Gronk not choosing his most recent teammates is telling. This could’ve been an easy opportunity for Gronkowski to back up the coaching staff in their comments on the development of Trask and Gabbert.
Who knows the thrower better than the guy catching the passes? Obviously, the staff knows well, but a player answering freely reveals a lot.
Now, no one on the planet should ever compare Gabbert or Trask with Burrow, and it is time for the franchise to accept this. Trask should get his chance to prove what he can do due to the team seemingly liking him enough to use a valuable pick on him less than a year ago, but expecting him to be a sure thing like Burrow has been in a little too optimistic.
Don’t get us started on Gabbert.
Gronk gave his honest opinion. Burrow is better, and everyone watching the game knows this. Finding another Burrow is difficult, perhaps impossible, but why settle for a mediocre option when a top-tier quarterback has proven that they are always the biggest need?
Burrow isn’t even the best quarterback in the league. In fact, he is a top-ten quarterback, but top-five is a stretch. Where would Gabbert or Trask rate on this list if Burrow is around seventh or eighth on the league rating?
This line of reasoning is harsh, but how have the Buccaneers not learned from their history that mediocrity at the QB position in the modern era is unacceptable? A Super Bowl win from 20 years ago doesn’t upset modern precedent.
Gronkowski is probably out; Buccaneers fans should’ve accepted this the day the Brady retirement hit, but his loss will still hurt. But much like Bucs fans had to accept that harsh reality; it is time that we start thinking realistically about the current quarterback room and take off the homer glasses.
Maybe we’ll be surprised by the play of Trask or Gabbert; we just probably won’t see them throwing passes to one of the best tight ends in franchise history.
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