Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are set to be reunited with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the former excited to "run it back" with his longtime New England Patriots teammate.
Just hours after Gronkowski hinted he may come out of NFL retirement, it emerged the 30-year-old was indeed planning to return and was the subject of a trade between the Patriots and the Bucs. The deal was swiftly finalized on Tuesday. The Patriots are sending Gronkowski and a 2020 seventh-round draft pick to Tampa Bay in exchange for a 2020 fourth-round selection.
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After the trade was made, the NFL's official Instagram uploaded a video of Brady and Gronkowski smiling in 2019 after the Patriots beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game to reach Super Bowl 53.
The clip, which was accompanied by P. Diddy's "Bad Boy for Life," included the caption "these two," with Brady writing in the comments: "Run it back."
Gronkowski retired in March 2019, shortly after Super Bowl 53, when he won his third ring and Brady his sixth. Last year, the tight end was named to the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team along with Brady. He is widely regarded as one of the best to ever play the position.
A series of injuries forced Gronkowski to miss 29 regular-season games out of a possible 144 during his first nine years in the NFL, all of which he spent in New England with Brady. Gronkowski later said it was the mental toll, rather than the physical struggles, which led him to call it a day.
Now, having recently won the WWE 24/7 championship belt at WrestleMania 36 — which aired earlier this month — Gronkowski is returning to the NFL to play alongside Brady once more.