Rob Gronkowski Receives Bucs' No. 87 Jersey, Jordan Leggett Switches to No. 81

Less than one day after coming out of retirement and getting traded from the New England Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, tight end Rob Gronkowski was assigned jersey No. 87 on Wednesday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Tight end Jordan Leggett had his jersey number switched from 87 to 81 to accommodate the trade, which he foreshadowed Tuesday:

After sitting out last season, Gronk told the Patriots he wanted to return to football and reunite with quarterback Tom Brady, who signed with the Bucs this offseason after 20 years in New England.

Tampa sent a fourth-round pick to New England for Gronkowski and a seventh-round pick, and Gronk will get to feel right at home by donning the number he enjoyed so much success with as a member of the Pats.

With Brady as his quarterback, Gronk was one of the best tight ends in the NFL during his tenure in New England. The 2010 second-round pick out of the University of Arizona is a five-time Pro Bowler, four-time First Team All-Pro, three-time Super Bowl champion and one-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Gronk has caught 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns in 115 career regular-season games, while adding 81 grabs for 1,163 yards and 12 touchdowns in 16 career playoff games.

He is tied for second with legendary Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver John Stallworth on the all-time playoff touchdown catch list behind only Jerry Rice, who finished with 22.

Not only does Gronk already have chemistry with Brady, but his penchant for coming through in big games is also precisely what the Buccaneers need.

Tampa Bay went just 7-9 last season and hasn't reached the playoffs since 2007. With an offense consisting of Brady, Gronk, wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, tight end O.J. Howard and running back Ronald Jones II, however, the Buccaneers are expected to be a playoff team and perhaps even Super Bowl contenders.

The one concern regarding Gronk is his health, as multiple injuries to his head, back and knees contributed to his retirement before last season.

Gronkowski may be fresher than he has been in years after taking a year off, though, and the Bucs also have the fallback option of Howard, who can be a quality No. 1 tight end if Gronkowski has to miss games next season.

Gronk securing the No. 87 wasn't a surprise since he is a future Hall of Famer, while Leggett has only been in the NFL for a few years and had just 114 yards and one touchdown during stints with the New York Jets and Bucs.

Leggett would have had a decent chance to make the roster in 2020 without Gronk on the team, but now that the Buccaneers boast Gronkowski, Howard and Cameron Brate at tight end, Leggett may be hard-pressed to be part of the squad next season unless general manager Jason Licht makes a move.