Rob Gronkowski made it clear that he is not coming back to the Buccaneers. The team needs to act quickly with this tough news.
The offense for the Buccaneers relies on three groups of people above all others; the quarterbacks, offensive coaches, and wide receivers.
When these three groups are clicking, this offense is one of the best in the NFL. The parts of the offense that the Bucs can give or take are the tight ends and the running backs. Its nice to have Hall of Fame talent like Rob Gronkowski, but it isn’t a dealbreaker.
That should hopefully make the most recent news from Gronk sit a little easier.
Rob Gronkowski on his transition from football to business, and declaring he will remain retired even if Tom Brady calls … this morning at @iceshakerbottle event in Boston. pic.twitter.com/8pHAOufklX
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) July 12, 2022
Gronk isn’t coming back. It shouldn’t surprise anyone at this point. Coming back from two retirements would already be incredible, but the injuries made it so that a return was unlikely from the jump.
This is a tough day for some of the more hardcore true believers, but it is time to accept that Gronk is done in Tampa.
With that knowledge in mind, the Buccaneers need to get busy in the free agent market, even when considering how unimportant tight ends are in this offense.
It would be one thing to let the young guys step into prominent roles if the coaching staff thought that there was a chance for Gronkowski to return down the road, but the whole situation changes when Gronk closes the door on the topic with a statement like this.
Cade Otton and Ko Kieft aren’t going to cut it in those roles. Kieft shouldn’t even be on the roster at this stage of his career.
The Bucs need more from their wide receivers with the knowledge that their Hall of Fame tight end isn’t coming back, and the free agent market looks like the best way to put this team in a great position to stay relevant in the 2022 season and beyond.
The Buccaneers need to get busy and make a veteran signing in this area.
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