By Jordan Long
Rob Gronkowski is going to have a decision to make. He is a free agent. Gronkowski could decide to walk away for good from the NFL but he may still keep playing. Gronkowski has a destination in mind if he plays another year.
Gronkowski just finished his 11th season. This past year, he was still effective in Tampa Bay catching 55 passes for 802 yards and 6 touchdowns even after missing 5 weeks with multiple rib fractures and a punctured lung suffered in week 3. It helped that his quarterback was future Hall of Famer Tom Brady who decided to retire. With his play, Tampa Bay finished 13-4, 2nd in the NFC.
Tampa Bay’s season though, ended in the Divisional Round when the L.A. Rams defeated Tampa Bay 30-27. In the playoffs, Gronkowski wasn’t a big factor catching 9 passes for 116 yards and 1 touchdown. After Brady ended his NFL career speculation was Gronkowski may follow.
Gronkowski though might not. He can still play the NFL game at a high level. There is one place he would like to go to, the Cincinnati Bengals. According to NFL.com, Gronkowski said, “I kinda like this young buck quarterback. He’s in the Super Bowl now: It’s Joe Burrow, man. I watched him in college. I just love the way he presents himself out on the football field. In the pocket, he’s just so calm and he just slings it out on the field. … I just love his swag, too.” He also added, “If I had to pick a quarterback, it’d be the young buck Joe Burrow. He’s killing it right now in the game.”
The Bengals could make a lot of sense as a landing spot. Joe Burrow can use a tight end like Gronkowski. Gronkowski is a tall target at 6 foot 6 inches. That would give Burrow a chance to throw to him since he creates so many mismatches. Defenses can’t put a linebacker on him because they can’t catch up to him. Teams try to put a defensive back on him but Gronkowski uses his height to outjump them to catch the football. When it comes to running the football Gronkowski can also block which would help the running game of Joe Mixon.
Cincinnati has one tight end signed for 2022, Drew Sample. Sample is not a pass catching tight end but more of a blocker. He totaled 11 receptions for 81 yards but didn’t record a touchdown in 2021.
Gronkowski should be an upgrade. He is a veteran at the position that would help Cincinnati. Cincinnati has plenty of cap space to sign Gronkowski. Right now, they have around $58 million to spend. Gronkowski might only cost around $3 million for a base salary, his cost this past season.
Of course, Gronkowski may decide to walk away. He has won 4 Super Bowl rings. There is not a guarantee that says he signs with Cincinnati they would win a Super Bowl next year. Gronkowski will take his time to decide his next move and do what’s best for him, but Cincinnati seems like a fit for Gronkowski depending on what he chooses to do.
Leave a Reply