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- Mar 19, 2019
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Tampa Bay tight end Rob Gronkowski came back from a yearlong retirement and has played all 18 games for the Buccaneers this season, and he plans to play in Tampa Bay in 2021 as well. Coach Bruce Arians likes that idea.
Arians said today that it’s too early to talk about signing Gronkowski to an offseason contract before he hits free agency in March, but it’s not too early to say that Gronk is a key player in Tampa.
“We’re a long way away from that,” Arians said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “But he’s playing extremely well and I don’t see any drop off.”
Gronk is not the same player he was in his prime. In 2020 he averaged a career-low 8.1 yards per target, and he doesn’t make anywhere near as many big plays downfield as he made with the Patriots. But he can still be a valuable part of the offense, and from all indications he’ll be back in Tampa Bay for the 2021 season.