Rob Gronkowski Retires
June 21st, 2022
Done.
UPDATED 2:44 p.m.: A moment of silence was observed at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters.
Rob Gronkowski has reitred.
It’s official. Gronk’s statement is below via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Maybe Gronk smells the big money flowing in broadcasting, or maybe he doesn’t want his body hammered for one more season. Regardless, it’s over, and the Bucs lost a tremendous amount of production from the tight end position.
JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman wrote a life-without-Gronk column last month, and Joe recommends it. It sure is relevant today.
Will veteran tight ends Jared Cook or Kyle Rudolph get a phone call later from Jason Licht?
As good a recruiter as Tom Brady has been, not squeezing a third year out of Gronk is a tough blow to his resumé. If there is any good news out of this, the Bucs now have salary cap room to go shopping — and not just at tight end.
Former Patriot Shane Vereen’s bold endorsement of Bucs rookie tight end Cade Otton takes on quite a bigger spotlight this afternoon.
Gronk makes it official. pic.twitter.com/Dg5HGWkhpU
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 21, 2022
June 21st, 2022 at 2:39 pm
Just saw that a few minutes ago.
Well THAT sucks for us. Big time.
But congrats to you, Gronk, and thank you for the incredible memories. It was a great ride having you here, and watching you help this team to the mountain top.
Good luck to you #87.
June 21st, 2022 at 2:40 pm
Not falling for this again, he’ll be back at some point this year.
June 21st, 2022 at 2:40 pm
Good for him…can’t enter the season on the fence…good way to get hurt. He goes out on top…which is a rarity.
June 21st, 2022 at 2:41 pm
Hopefully Gronk changes his mind after training camp or perhaps later in the season…..
If not – thanks for a great 2 years and “2 Tuddies” in the Super Bowl Mr Gronkowski!
Best Tight End of all time.
June 21st, 2022 at 2:42 pm
overthecap shows $10mil of cash left. Jared Cook on line 1.
June 21st, 2022 at 2:42 pm
I’ll believe it when I see him not in uniform on opening day
June 21st, 2022 at 2:42 pm
Suh.
June 21st, 2022 at 2:42 pm
Jesse James
June 21st, 2022 at 2:44 pm
Suh
June 21st, 2022 at 2:44 pm
SUHHHHHHHH and a TE vet
June 21st, 2022 at 2:46 pm
We will miss you, Gronky!
Others may argue and flagellate, but in my book, Gronk is best tight end of all time.
Sad to see him retire. 🙁
June 21st, 2022 at 2:46 pm
Well………poop!
June 21st, 2022 at 2:46 pm
ouch!!!
That hurts!!!
need some time to recover
June 21st, 2022 at 2:46 pm
Gronk my man, tired of getting beat up, just tryna party and relax… GET SUH and a vet TE
June 21st, 2022 at 2:47 pm
He’s one player F’em n let’s move on he beat up ain’t ish left in him
June 21st, 2022 at 2:49 pm
We will miss you Gronk. Have fun with your new boat.
June 21st, 2022 at 2:49 pm
Time to ring up the farm team, Patriots will part with one of their 2 starting TEs, Jonnu Smith or Hunter Henry, probably give up a 3rd, but worry about that after the parade
June 21st, 2022 at 2:50 pm
Ah crap.
Need to find another vet TE who can block and catch.
June 21st, 2022 at 2:51 pm
Otton needs to get his ankle healed and ramp up in a big way. Maybe we’ll get lucky and Kieft can contribute in the passing game a little. Brate needs to stay healthy and one of these UDFA TEs (Beise and Holland) need to develop into an NFL player. Both have ability. Maybe we’ll get lucky.
We could also sign one of these stop-gap old-timers, but unless they’re a huge upgrade over Otton, I don’t see the point.
June 21st, 2022 at 2:51 pm
he will come back next year with brady in miami…
June 21st, 2022 at 2:51 pm
He’s done. I’d be very surprised if he returns in November or something. It’s a tremendous blow, especially since licht should’ve seen this coming. A couple rookies isn’t good enough. I’m sure Brady is devastated on a professional level. It makes it that much harder for him. Offer the Patriots a second round pick for Smith. Not sure of the cap implications, but Bill and Tom made up. He sent him Mason
June 21st, 2022 at 2:53 pm
Sucks but Gronk was great as a buc. We will miss him. We definitely need to get more help at the position now. Not going to go into the season with just Brate and some rookies at the position.
June 21st, 2022 at 2:54 pm
Too bad Gronk is out at just 32, but back injuries are no joke.
He was very helpful for Bucs and is always greatly appreciated!
Bucs will still be competitive in ’22. We did not survive the lost decade for nought!
June 21st, 2022 at 2:55 pm
err… 33.
June 21st, 2022 at 2:57 pm
Thanks Gronk…
Now we need to sign one of the FA TE’s still available…
Jared Cook? Kyle Rudolph?
We still have @ $10M under the cap.
June 21st, 2022 at 2:58 pm
Recently saw on GRIT tv Gronk’s follow up ad. More polished and effective. The worlds his oyster .Get it Gronk. Thanks for the memories
June 21st, 2022 at 2:59 pm
This is exactly what I feared, and it explains why Tommy Boy unloaded on the mysteriously injured Gage that he needs to get his ass out there to practice. While Brady is all about practice, that wasn’t like him, not at the OTAs stage.
June 21st, 2022 at 3:00 pm
f that… not allowed
June 21st, 2022 at 3:01 pm
Wanted: Slot options.
June 21st, 2022 at 3:02 pm
I think it’s a good decision for him. The Bucs will miss him, and so will the NFL, but the dude is Mr. Glass and has been for a long time. Arguably the greatest TE in NFL history though despite his injuries.
June 21st, 2022 at 3:02 pm
Suh
Jared Cook
June 21st, 2022 at 3:06 pm
That’s a huge blow to our only goal this year.
Didn’t see this coming at all.
Sucks for us.
June 21st, 2022 at 3:10 pm
This makes the bucs much easier to defend. They are incredibly top heavy at the reciever position. Teams will now rotate to Evans, and make Gage beat them. This season will hinge on Godwin. I just hope they don’t rush him, and he’s 80-85% by December.
June 21st, 2022 at 3:11 pm
I called this already: Gronk will unretire during the Bucs bye week. Just in time for the stretch run and will be fresh and in mid-season form for the playoffs.
June 21st, 2022 at 3:12 pm
Bring in Cook, didn’t he play for both the Saints and the Packers, he would love some sweet revenge (and the ring he was chasing)
June 21st, 2022 at 3:12 pm
I love Gronk but I hate him that he waited this long to retire and then played with us the entire time….. Lets go trade for a TE now.
June 21st, 2022 at 3:21 pm
I wonder if New England will make Hunter Henry available. There are precious few productive TEs available via trade. Mike Gesicki is a free agent, he’s OK in the slot but a rather poor blocker.
June 21st, 2022 at 3:23 pm
I’m wrong, Gesicki already signed with Miami.
June 21st, 2022 at 3:30 pm
Call 93 and get him signed!
June 21st, 2022 at 3:32 pm
Bummer. Hopefully he comes back later, but it will be fun seeing what the young guys can do.
June 21st, 2022 at 3:52 pm
Thanks Gronk! You’re gonna feel what you feel is needed best for you and those around you.
Im proud to see you retire as a Buc (and you better not be punking us u little shthed, lol) Football life takes its toll. We need you, but you need quality of life…all good Brother 😀
Thanks for the memories.
June 21st, 2022 at 3:54 pm
Now go get another pass rushers. Offense is now neutered.
June 21st, 2022 at 3:57 pm
It’s time for Leftwich to actually start scheming people open. Relying on talent at the skill positions is dangerous. We’re a receiver driven offense and we looked lost without guys who could beat their man. Gronk was one of the players in Brady’s trust circle. Could Otton become one? By the way, I don’t think Brady fully trusts Brate, and Brate is an average blocker.
June 21st, 2022 at 4:04 pm
Thanks for fun and an awesome boat parade. You’ll always have fans down here Gronk!
June 21st, 2022 at 4:08 pm
Make a trade to Seattle for Noah Fant another Iowa guy only making 2.2 mil this year and 6.5 next year still young.
June 21st, 2022 at 4:14 pm
If it’s not 42 days early, than thanks Gronk. Never forget two TD in Super Bowl LV. You helped make this team great again. Much appreciated.
June 21st, 2022 at 4:14 pm
He’ll be back before playoffs if I had to bet
June 21st, 2022 at 4:18 pm
^ I hope
June 21st, 2022 at 4:26 pm
SHOCKED
June 21st, 2022 at 4:26 pm
Ebron isn’t reliable. He drops too many passes. Brady would sentence him to the bench forever. I think Brady knew and that’s why he put the pressure on Gage.
June 21st, 2022 at 4:28 pm
Florio: Sources say this is a power move to force his way to Miami. He recently met with the Glazers to voice his displeasure of Bowles becoming HC.
June 21st, 2022 at 4:30 pm
Gonna miss him, but not as much as he won’t miss punctured lungs.
Thanks for the memories.
June 21st, 2022 at 4:38 pm
Ugh. My favorite player. But if he’s not coming back I would use the money towards defensive line and pass rushers. We have plenty of playmakers on offense.
June 21st, 2022 at 5:17 pm
Gronk, you’ll always be the MAN!!! So happy you played for the Bucs!!! Heal up that body of yours and help this TEAM get another ring!! STAY COOL!!!
June 21st, 2022 at 5:20 pm
as a career Brady fan, I don’t get overly negative about this. How many times has the GOAT made stars out of players I never even heard of like Edleman and Amendola
June 21st, 2022 at 5:26 pm
JBF … ‘If there is any good news out of this, the Bucs now have salary cap room to go shopping — and not just at tight end.’
In a way that is good news, but wouldn’t be surprised to see JL hold quite a bit of that for in-season signings. Bucs have an injury-plagued roster (historically), but we still have to pay their salary if they go onto IR. And replacements cost money, especially quality replacements.
June 21st, 2022 at 5:34 pm
@alton
Amendola had already blossomed into a talent with the Rams. That’s why Belichick spent a load of money on him to replace Welker.
The hallmark of Brady was making marginal WRs productive, as Belichick was terrible at selecting WR talent. Brady guided those marginal WRs to deep playoff runs, but not all the way to the Super Bowl. Brady’s Super Bowl runs only occurred after Edelman matured as a WR (that took years) and Gronk fell into their laps during the draft.
June 21st, 2022 at 5:54 pm
Licht really has to find a legit TE1. It wouldn’t hurt to find another legit WR who can play in the slot. That was apparent late last season, as the offense stagnated after the Bucs lost Antonio Brown and Godwin. Now they’re without AB, Godwin, and Gronk. And no, Brate is no Gronk, and Gage isn’t an Antonio Brown or Chris Godwin.
June 21st, 2022 at 6:07 pm
Boy was I wrong! I thought Gronk was just trying to get out of training camp, and would be back for sure.
This really shocked me!
June 21st, 2022 at 6:14 pm
As I just posted in another thread, I had a feeling that Gronk was going to retire. Up until about 10 days ago, I was confident that Gronk was coming back… but when Brady began stressing that Gage needed a big season, that was weird. Brady doesn’t talk like that during OTAs. At that point, I had a very strong feeling that Gronk shared his plans with Brady.
June 21st, 2022 at 6:41 pm
Saw it coming. Gronk was a great player for the bucs and the best TE to ever play the game. Congrats on a HOF career and thank you for making the Bucs relevant! Wish you all the best.
June 21st, 2022 at 6:47 pm
thanx for the memories GRONKZILLA!
June 21st, 2022 at 7:19 pm
40 days from now is??? Ah, I see what he did here! NO?
June 21st, 2022 at 7:23 pm
He will be “sailing the seas, ARRRR” here again soon.
June 21st, 2022 at 7:25 pm
Send up the Bat Signal
June 21st, 2022 at 7:27 pm
The price of being a beast was so many surgeries and bumps and bruises. Thank you Gronk !
June 21st, 2022 at 8:25 pm
Suh. The best offense is a iron wall defense. Sign suh, don’t be afraid.
June 21st, 2022 at 8:34 pm
Tom Brady never came in here and turned Tampa Bay into a SuperBowl winner. It was Tom and Gronk who did that together.
Yes, this is a major loss.
GO BUCS!
June 21st, 2022 at 8:39 pm
In 2 years, Gronk has become one of my all time favorite Buccaneers! This is a big loss, but like Marpet we have to accept it and thank them for our LV championship! I can’t help but think that injury to the Rams helped force this. Boy do I hate them just a little more tonight. Thanks Gronk!!
June 21st, 2022 at 8:56 pm
Passing, I think you’re right. He wouldn’t have sprung this on Brady, on the eve of training camp. If the Patriots deal one TE, it’ll be Smith. Jones already has chemistry with Henry, and Smith looks like he can’t learn the offense. NE has simplified things a bit in the passing game, so they’ll likely hold onto him and see if it makes a difference. If Smith struggles early, I think he’s a prime trade candidate. Not sure of the Cap implications. Smith isn’t your typical inline TE. He’s more of an H-Back, Aaron Hernandez type, although not nearly as athletic.
June 21st, 2022 at 9:12 pm
This is simple. Gronk will be back if we clinch home field for playoffs.
June 21st, 2022 at 9:34 pm
Stone crab sam Says:
June 21st, 2022 at 8:25 pm
He’s been replaced. He has accepted he’s not returning here. The Bucs have moved on. You should probably consider doing the same. He’s not that good anymore.
June 21st, 2022 at 10:58 pm
It’s simply weird how Suh has cultivated a cult following. He was barely “good” last season, and good is below “elite”, “near elite”, and “very good”.
Someone even postulated that Suh was more important that Gronk. Let me put it in perspective:
Gronk >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Suh
Sorry, I probably under-exaggerated Gronk’s importance. AB is gone. Godwin won’t be back soon, and he might not hit stride this season anyway. Gage is a good WR3, and like the rest of the fan boys, I hope he can become a WR2, but that’s far from certain. Gronk retired. The only real slot option left is Evans, and he’s better as an outside WR. All of that means that Gronk was more important than ever this season.
And those of you that believe Scotty Miller can be a slot, or are praying to Saint Scotty, please learn something about this game because you’re hopelessly lost. Miller is not a slot receiver.
Gronk retiring was a huge blow. This team desperately needs slot options, especially at TE. Otton is a rook in a league where most rookie TEs need two years to develop. Brate has S L O W E D down, and on his very best day 3 years ago he was not a Gronk replacement.
That’s why Brady sounded off on Gage during the OTAs. He has a much more realistic view than 95%+ of you folks. This team needs a productive vet TE, and quite possibly a slot WR.
June 21st, 2022 at 11:36 pm
I’ll believe it when it’s reported that he turned in his paperwork to the league.
June 21st, 2022 at 11:52 pm
If no Gronk then SUH.
June 22nd, 2022 at 4:06 am
He will wait 42 days and unretire just before the season starts just to mess with Tom and 1up him
June 22nd, 2022 at 6:25 am
Not surprised. He kept dragging this out. Let’s move on. Frees up the money we’d earmarked for him to add DL/edge and TE help.