Rob Gronkowski has found his 'fire' again after joining Tom Brady at Buccaneers

'Rob Gronkowski comes out of retirement' were the words being echoed by Bucs fans this week as the three-time Super Bowl winner chose to call off his retirement after just one year. The former Patriots tight end announced his intention to return to the NFL on Tuesday and subsequently secured a trade to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At Tampa Bay, Gronkowski will reunite with his former Patriots teammate Tom Brady, who himself moved to the Buccaneers last month. 

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Rob Gronkowski traded: Rob Gronkowski interview

In an interview with Tampa's media team, Gronkowski revealed that he did not believe he had played his last game in the NFL in 2019, despite announcing his retirement. Gronkowski's retirement came as a result of the several injuries he sustained during the later stages of his career which forced him to miss a significant portion of the previous three seasons.

"It definitely wasn't last year, my body 100 per cent needed a rest," Rob Gronkowski said. "I didn't have that fire underneath me but I knew I loved the game of football. I always have, that's why I've always played it. That's why I had a nine-year career with the New England Patriots."

Rob Gronkowski then admitted that he had lost his desire to play in the NFL last season but as time went on he started picking things up which eventually drove him to call off his retirement. 

"So, I was feeling good. I wouldn't say I had no fire last year even at the end of the season to come back but as the time rolled on, the last couple weeks, I started really picking it up. My body started feeling good. My desire to play the game of football was coming back and I knew that by the time the season would be rolling around again, I would want to be back out there."

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Rob Gronkowski traded: Patriots trade Rob Gronkowski to Buccaneers

Rob Gronkowski's decision to join Tampa Bay Buccaneers was reportedly influenced by Tom Brady. The six-time Super Bowl winner ended his 20-year stint with the Patriots in order to sign a two-year deal with the Buccaneers. Gronkowski revealed he was in frequent touch with Tom Brady and that he even discussed an NFL return with the quarterback about two months back. Gronkowski said during the interview that he would un-retire and continue playing for the Patriots, had Brady re-signed with them. 

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Patriots trade Rob Gronkowski to Buccaneers: Gronkowski to block out the noise

With Brady and Gronkowski now at Tampa Bay, there possibly could be a lot of animosity between the fans of the Buccaneers and the Patriots. Gronkowski said that he is ready to 'block out the noise' as he is determined to avoid all distractions ahead of his NFL return. 

"There's no reason to listen to all the hype, listen to all that's going on, go out there and fall into all the distractions -- no that's not the case. You got to stay focused, you got to stay with the program and you got to stay mentally sharp and physically ready at all times, and not let the distraction get to you. You got to just block them out."

Rob Gronkowski comes out of retirement: Rob Gronkowski interview

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