Rob Gronkowski: Return for 2022 Season 'Would Definitely Be with the Bucs'

Free agent tight end Rob Gronkowski said that if he decides to return to the NFL in 2022, it will be with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"There's one thing, if I do play football, though, it would definitely be with the Bucs," Gronkowski told Lanae Brody of People at rehearsals for the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, which he is hosting Saturday.

It appears he'd have the support of his girlfriend, Camille Kostek, who is a television host and model.

"I think she wants me to go back," Gronkowski said. "She supports me for sure."

One big step toward Gronkowski's return would appear to be his longtime teammate Tom Brady. The quarterback ended his retirement after just 40 days. The duo played together in New England from 2010 to '18, winning five AFC titles and three Super Bowls for the Patriots.

Gronkowski retired after the 2018 season but came back to the game when Brady signed with the Bucs in 2020. The two won another Super Bowl together that season.

Last year's Bucs team won the NFC South but fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round. The 32-year-old Gronkowski had 55 catches for 802 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season despite missing five games.

Sans Gronk, the current tight end depth chart in Tampa Bay consists of Cameron Brate and Codey McElroy.