Bucs' Rob Gronkowski on Ending Retirement: 'I'm Definitely Glad I'm Still Playing'

More than one year after deciding to end his brief retirement, Rob Gronkowski has no regrets about joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Speaking to reporters, Gronkowski called coming out of retirement "a great decision and I'm definitely glad I'm still playing."

Gronkowski originally retired from the NFL in March 2019, one month after helping the New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

In August 2019, Gronkowski elaborated on his decision to walk away from football.

"I want to be clear to my fans. I needed to recover. I was not in a good place. Football was bringing me down, and I didn't like it. I was losing that joy in life," he said, per ESPN's Mike Reiss.

After Tom Brady joined the Bucs as a free agent in March 2020, Gronkowski ended his retirement and was traded to Tampa by the Patriots.

During a radio appearance on WEEI in Boston (h/t Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times), Gronkowski explained his decision to return to football wasn't part of a plan with Brady.

"This is an opportunity to go see what it's like somewhere else, to go see what it's like in the NFL on another squad," he said. "There’s so many players that bounce around on so many different teams. I loved my time in New England, no doubt about it. But it was another opportunity that presented."

Gronkowski started all 16 games for the Bucs last year, the first time he played all 16 regular-season games since 2011. The five-time Pro Bowler finished the season with 623 yards and seven touchdowns on 45 receptions.

The Bucs re-signed Gronkowski to a one-year, $10 million deal for the 2021 season.