Rob Gronkowski 'Wasn't Done' Before Retiring from Patriots, NFL, Says AFC Exec

Rob Gronkowski retired from the NFL prior to the 2019 season, seemingly ending his career with the New England Patriots. 

However, he elected to come out of retirement this offseason, and New England has since traded him and a seventh-round pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a fourth-round pick. To hear multiple people around the league tell it, the future Hall of Famer needed a break but "wasn't done" with football when he did retire.

"His body was just beat to hell and he couldn't run," an AFC executive told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. "But who knows what 18 months off will do? He's still only 30." 

Another AFC executive told Breer, "He wasn't done, that's for sure. I'm guessing a year off may have been good for his body too."

According to Breer, Gronkowski only wanted to come back if he could reunite with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.

While New England still controlled his rights, the tight end also had plenty of leverage since the Patriots are less than $1 million under the salary cap and would have needed to make coinciding moves and potential cuts if he came out of retirement and they were unwilling to move him.

"This is also pretty clear proof that Gronk was more done with the Patriots than he was with football," Breer wrote.

That is welcome news for Tampa Bay on the surface, as Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends in NFL history after winning three Super Bowls, making five Pro Bowls and being selected to four All-Pro teams with New England.

He also surpassed 1,000 receiving yards four times and reached double-digit touchdown catches five times, although he was a shell of himself production-wise during his final season with the Patriots in 2018 on the way to 47 catches for 682 yards and three touchdowns.

Perhaps the year away from the game and a change of scenery and coaching staff in Tampa Bay will reinvigorate Gronkowski as he teams up with Brady once again. If the duo can tap into their prime production from their Patriots days, they could lead the Buccaneers to their first playoff win since the 2002 campaign.