Tom Brady won’t be the only former Patriot to play for Tampa Bay in 2020.
The Patriots and Buccaneers on Tuesday completed a trade that brought the tight end out of retirement for one final season with Brady. The deal, which became official after Gronk passed a physical, sends him and a 2020 seventh-round pick to the Bucs; the Patriots receive a 2020 fourth-round pick in return.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier Tuesday that a trade was being negotiated.
Patriots and Buccaneers have been discussing a trade for retired TE Rob Gronkowski, per league sources. Gronkowski has one year and $10 million left on his contract. But the two sides are, and have been talking, prior to Thursday’s draft.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 21, 2020
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Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Gronkowski has started adding weight in anticipation of a return to the NFL:
#Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski has, in fact, begin putting on weight for a return to football, sources say. He’s ready. He wants to return. And Tom Brady wants him back for the #Bucs, too.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 21, 2020
It should be noted that Tampa Bay had six tight ends on its roster before adding Gronkowski, including 2017 first-round pick O.J. Howard, who finished first among Bucs tight ends in receiving yards (459) and second in catches (34). That said, the 6-6, 251-pound Howard had just a single touchdown in 2019 (a career-low) and struggled with frustrating drops, often at inopportune moments.
“It’s hard to say (what’s wrong),” Bucs coach Bruce Arians said of Howard in November after the Bucs’ 31-24 loss to the Saints. “He’s a talented, talented guy, but it’s not showing up on Sundays.”
If Arians hasn’t seen enough from Howard to warrant further trust in him, then it makes sense that he’d look for a proven alternative with an existing rapport with his current quarterback. Whether he will continue to work with Howard — who is due $1.9 million in 2020 — or attempt to deal him elsewhere remains to be seen.
This article has been updated with the Buccaneers’ announcement.