Didn't BB trade Gronk to the Bucs when he was retired? If BB wanted to, he could have just held onto Gronk without trading him...not sure of the relationship that BB or RK had with Gronk, but it always seemed to me that Gronk was happy here.
They actually couldn't hold onto Gronk that year. Gronk retired with one year/$10 Million left on his contract. When he un-retired, the Patriots were on the hook for that $10 Million salary but they did not have that much cap space. They couldn't keep him and there was no way he was playing here, so they had to trade him.
The thing about Gronk that irks me is how he intentionally screwed the Patriots when he retired that first time. He waited until every big name TE was signed in free agency before announcing his retirement. At least one FA said that if Gronk had retired earlier, he would've considered NE. No #1 TE wanted to go to NE when Gronk was on the roster.
BTW - is everyone forgetting Gronk's first retirement announcement?
It all started at 20 years old on stage at the NFL draft when my dream came true, and now here I am about to turn 30 in a few months with a decision I feel is the biggest of my life so far. I will be retiring from the game of football today. I am so grateful for the opportunity that Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick gave to me when drafting my silliness in 2010. My life experiences over the last 9 years have been amazing both on and off the field. The people I have meet, the relationships I have built, the championships I have been apart of, I just want to thank the whole New England Patriots organization for every opportunity I have been giving and learning the great values of life that I can apply to mine. Thank you to all of Pats Nation around the world for the incredible support since I have been apart of this 1st class organization. Thank you for everyone accepting who I am and the dedication I have put into my work to be the best player I could be. But now its time to move forward and move forward with a big smile knowing that the New England Patriots Organization, Pats Nation, and all my fans will be truly a big part of my heart for rest of my life. It was truly an incredible honor to play for such a great established organization and able to come in to continue and contribute to keep building success. To all my current and past teammates, thank you for making each team every year special to be apart of. I will truly miss you guys. Cheers to all who have been part of this journey, cheers to the past for the incredible memories, and a HUGE cheers to the uncertain of whats next.
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