"He could definitely do it until 50" - Rob Gronkowski unwilling to shut door on Tom Brady's NFL return

The Tom Brady retirement saga was one of the most talked about storylines of the previous offseason. After crashing out of the playoffs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar called time on his NFL career.

But much to the surprise of everyone, Brady announced he was returning for the 2022 NFL season just 40 days after announcing his retirement. A lackluster campaign followed, and the NFL community once again finds itself in the same position it did a year ago.

The seven-time Super Bowl winner has once again announced his retirement. However, this time around, the former Buccaneers quarterback claims he's retired for good.

Truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ https://t.co/j2s2sezvSS

His former teammate Rob Gronkowski took a similar route back in 2020. After announcing his retirement in 2018, the tight end returned to play alongside Brady in Tampa Bay. But following the conclusion of the 2021 campaign, he decided enough was enough.

Gronk is now focusing on his broadcasting career and in a conversation with The Athletic, made it clear that his days as an NFL player are over. But what about Tom Brady? Gronk refused to rule out a return for Brady, although he did suggest that it was unlikely.

"Tom is not reopening that door. I don’t know. Maybe he is. I don’t know."

The former tight end went on to elaborate on his comments:

"I would just say I was shocked because I would say he still has some left in the tank. There’s no doubt about that. I felt like Tom could play until 50 years old. It’s up to him when he would call it quits, but just seeing his preparation, how he prepares, how he takes care of himself, just seeing his mindset, he could definitely do it until 50."

The record for the oldest player to ever start an NFL game belongs to George Blanda. He took to the field at the ripe old age of 48. With Brady now approaching 46, is this one more record he'd like to break before he finally calls it in for good?

Tom Brady adopts two cats following NFL retirement

Tom Brady seems to be thoroughly enjoying his retirement. With some added time on his hands, the former quarterback has taken to becoming a cat parent.

TOM BRADY IS A CAT DAD 😭😭😭😭 One more reason to stan him! https://t.co/oMldSa3RwF

Brady captioned a photo of the two kittens, saying his daughter Vivian has 'won again.' This must mean his daughter pushed for him to get the pair of kittens.

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Brady proceeded to tag the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and said that the kittens are now in good, loving hands.