Rob Gronkowski Jokes There's a '69% Chance' Julian Edelman Joins Buccaneers

Rob Gronkowski had a humorous response when asked if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could to lure Julian Edelman out of retirement. 

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Gronkowski joked there's a "69 percent chance" that Edelman will play for the reigning Super Bowl champions in 2021. 

After Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald reported last week that Edelman would be unlikely to play a full 17-game season due to chronic knee problems, the 34-year-old officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday. 

If there's any team that could get Edelman back in the NFL, it would likely be the Bucs. He spent 10 seasons as Tom Brady's teammate and nine seasons playing alongside Gronkowski with the New England Patriots.

Edelman spent his entire 11-year NFL career with the Patriots. He was drafted in the seventh round as a wide receiver in 2009 after being a three-year starter at quarterback for Kent State. 

After a slow start to his career, Edelman emerged as one of Tom Brady's favorite targets with the Patriots. He averaged 132.2 targets, 88.3 receptions, 965.5 receiving yards and 5.3 touchdowns per season from 2013-19. 

Edelman won three Super Bowl titles with the Patriots. He had more than 100 receiving yards in New England's Super Bowl victories over the Seattle Seahawks in 2015 and Los Angeles Rams in 2019.