Ian Rapoport Dismisses Rob Gronkowski NFL Return Rumors as 'Nonsense'

It doesn't appear that Rob Gronkowski will be coming out of retirement anytime soon.

After a report surfaced on Tuesday that Gronkowski was potentially interested in joining the Denver Broncos, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network quickly dismissed the buzz as "nonsense":

After a long offseason wait following the 2021 season, Gronkowski announced June 21, 2022 that he was retiring from the NFL.

As soon as the announcement came out, there was speculation that Gronkowski might be biding his time for a comeback. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN's Adam Schefter via text it "would not surprise him" if Tom Brady called Gronk during the season about playing.

"This is just my opinion but I wouldn't be surprised if Rob comes back during the season or next season," Rosenhaus said to Schefter.

Nothing ever came of that, and given how long Gronkowski has been out of the game, it's a surprise he would return now at the age of 35.

Gronkowski is no stranger to retirement. He previously walked away from the NFL in March 2019 after nine seasons with the New England Patriots. He came out of retirement in April 2020 when the Patriots traded his rights to the Bucs, reuniting him with Brady.

Then-head coach Bruce Arians said on ESPN's NFL Live that Brady was "adamant" about the Bucs making a move to add Gronkowski.

Even though Gronkowski wasn't the singular dominant force that he was at his peak in New England, his two-year run with Tampa Bay worked out well for both sides. He had 1,425 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 100 receptions in 28 starts.

The Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9, in Super Bowl LV in Gronkowski's first season with the team. The four-time All-Pro was the team's leading receiver with 67 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Since retiring from the NFL, Gronkowski has spent time as a studio analyst for Fox.