Does Tom Brady’s re-worked contract hint at Rob Gronkowski re-signing with Buccaneers?
Tom Brady had quite an eventful 2022 NFL offseason. He initially announced that he would be retiring, only to change his mind a few weeks later.
Brady announced that he would be returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for at least one more year. That's because his contract officially expires at the conclusion of the 2022 NFL season.
As he has done many times throughout his career, Tom Brady restructured his contract for the upcoming season. This freed up additional salary cap space for the Buccaneers.
His decision allows the Buccaneers to make additional moves during the offseason to improve their roster in their pursuit of another Super Bowl this year.
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers restructured his 2022 contract today, creating over $9 million of added salary cap space for Tampa Bay as it gets ready to head into next week’s draft, league sources tell ESPN. Brady still is scheduled to be a free agent after this season.
One particular move the Buccaneers could make with the additional spending money is to sign tight end Rob Gronkowski to a new contract. He is currently an unrestricted free agent after spending the last two seasons with the Buccaneers and every year of his career with Tom Brady.
It's quite possible that the main reason Brady restructured his contract was to specifically free up available cap space to retain Gronkowski. The two have remained close friends and Brady is the main reason why Gronkowski joined the Buccaneers in the first place.
Gronkowski officially retired following the 2018 NFL season. Brady joined the Buccaneers prior to the start of the 2020 NFL season and convinced Gronkowski to come out of retirement after just one year to join him in Tampa Bay.
While it's possible that Rob Gronkowski is considering retirement again this year, the fact that he hasn't yet implies that he still wants to play.
These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG https://t.co/U0yhRKVKVm
It would be surprising to see Gronkowski sign with a team other than the Buccaneers, especially now that Brady is unretired. He may just have been waiting on a new offer from the Buccaneers, which is much more likely now that Brady has given them more cap space to play with.
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are a dominant duo
Rob Gronkowski has had Brady as his starting quarterback for all 11 years of his career, including nine with the New England Patriots and two with Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The two have combined to win four Super Bowl rings together while connecting for 15 post-season touchdowns. Both of those totals are the most by any quarterback-receiver duo in NFL history.
No wonder then that many expect the two players to team up again this season and make a run for another Super Bowl ring.