Former NFL player outlines Buccaneers' chances next season despite Rob Gronkowski retirement

Rob Gronkowski, after careful consideration, is returning to retirement. The four-time Super Bowl champion tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced his decision to retire via Instagram on Tuesday. Of course, some speculate he’s left the door open for a return.

Should he stick with it this time, the Buccaneers may see their chances of getting back to the Super Bowl diminish ever so slightly. Former Indianapolis Colts center and ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday joined the morning show Get Up to outline their chances this season.

"I think this is still a top-three NFC team right now. You think about the Rams and the Packers, I put them in the same category. Again, I think Brady's a good player. I think from a tight end perspective, Brady's gonna bring guys along. Remember, Tom Brady's done this thing forever."

Saturday also explained some other missing pieces.

"He understands it's not how you play at the beginning of the season. They'll take some lumps early. They had an offensive lineman retire, they had one leave, so they have some other pieces of parts that they're going to have to fit together as well. But this football team, with Tom Brady driving it, understands what needs to be done."

With Tom Brady back from his own retirement, the Buccaneers cannot be counted out. Gronkowski makes the team more dangerous, but the offense is still loaded with weapons, including Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Brady will no doubt cultivate a chemistry with tight end Cameron Brate, who will step into Gronkowski’s rather large shoes.

Gronkowski may be using retirement to get out of training camp, return for the regular season

Like Saturday, many don’t believe Gronkowski’s retirement changes the notion that Tampa Bay has one of the best teams in the NFC. While they sit in a weak division, a situation Brady seems to have benefited from throughout his career. The Buccaneers will have to go through the Green Bay Packers and the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams for a chance at another ring.

Still, there’s no guarantee Gronkowski will stay retired. Many speculate that the big tight end is using retirement to avoid training camp and expect him to announce his return as the start of the regular season grows near. It probably wouldn’t take much for his old friend Tom Brady to convince him to go one more round.

Source: Jeff Saturday on Get Up