Report: Rob Gronkowski Considered Bills Contract Offer Before Returning to Bucs

The Buffalo Bills made a run at Rob Gronkowski before he lined up his return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to NFL Network's Michael Silver. 

Adam Schefter of ESPN confirmed Monday that Gronkowski received a one-year contract from the Bucs worth up to $10 million. Silver said the four-time All-Pro tight end "considered a similar offer from the Bills." 

Signing with Buffalo would've brought the Amherst, New York, native close to home, and he would've been beloved by members of Bills Mafia.

Prying the 31-year-old out of Florida was always going to be difficult, though. The Bucs are coming off a win in Super Bowl LV, and they have such a deep well of pass-catchers that Gronkowski doesn't have to shoulder a heavy load. His 2019 retirement resulted from the punishment his body had taken over the years.

Silver posited the Bills may now look in a different direction to address the tight end position.

Gronkowski, Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith are already off the board. Perhaps Gerald Everett, Kyle Rudolph or Jared Cook will be in play for general manger Brandon Beane, or the draft could be an option as well.

The team would need to trade up from the 30th overall pick to land Florida's Kyle Pitts, but Penn State's Pat Freiermuth (No. 43) and Miami's Brevin Jordan (No. 61) both cracked the top 100 prospects in B/R's Big Board 1.0.