The Bucs’ Newest Tight End
As all football fans are now aware, and painfully so in New England, formerly retired tight end Rob Gronkowski is coming out of retirement to join Tom Brady and his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In a move looking somewhat similar to Demarcus Cousins’s one year ring-chasing deal with the Lakers, Gronk will be playing for the Bucs as they go all in this season in a serious attempt to not only end their 13 year playoff drought, but also to go all the way and win the Super Bowl for the first time since 2003. But when Gronk gets back on the field, he will no longer be a one sport athlete.
During his time off from football, Gronk went into wrestling with the WWE and even managed to earn himself the 24/7 Championship. (Fun Fact: the Celtics’ very own Enes Kanter held the title as well.) Furthermore, he has stated his intentions to defend that title during a video posted on the Buccaneers official Twitter after being reminded that, "Per the rules of the 24/7 Title, Gronk must defend his championship at all times in any location. He could be celebrating a touchdown pass from @TomBrady... anytime, anywhere” from the WWE Twitter account. He’ll have to keep an eye out during games now, assuming nobody manages to pin him before then.
It’s safe to say Gronk will have a lot more on his plate during his second run in the NFL. Title aside, Gronk’s injury history is concerning to say the least. Back problems have plagued him throughout his football career, dating as far back as his junior year at Arizona, and flaring up as recently as 2018. Add those issues to the concussions and other various ailments, and you realize that Gronk has somewhat of a propensity for getting injured. In fact, he missed a total of 35 regular season games due to injuries during his nine season career, in addition to his entire junior year season at Arizona, three playoff games, and multiple preseason games.
Tom Brady will undoubtedly have a lot of options on his offense in addition to Gronk. The Bucs' tight end position is being debated a bit, as fellow tight end O.J. Howard has reportedly requested a trade, while Bucs GM Jason Licht stated that the team is conversely, “excited about having O.J. Howard play with Rob Gronkowski.” Additionally, Cameron Brate is in the mix at the position, too. Other offensive options include receivers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. With this plethora of weapons, Gronk probably will not play quite as big of a role as he did while on the Patriots and thus be a little more protected from injuries. He’s also now had a year of rest to rejuvenate and rest any lingering injuries. That year off has been accompanied by a visual weight loss, however Gronk states he is currently at 250 lbs and that his ideal playing weight is around 265. With more than a few months before training camps, he should have more than enough time to gain that weight back. As long as he can avoid getting hurt, it is quite possible that he will return better than before.
So, with a new team, a WWE title to defend, and after a year of retirement, all we can do is wait and see what surprises Gronk has still up his sleeve.
WORKS CITED
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/04/22/gronk-i-weigh-250-pounds-gaining-10-pounds-wont-be-hard/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lucasseehafer/2020/04/21/taking-a-look-back-at-rob-gronkowskis-injury-history/#485ab792b1ed
https://www.wwe.com/classics/titlehistory/24-7-championship
https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/report_tight_end_oj_howard_wants_out_of_tampa_bay/s1_127_31838000
Fiona Mooers
