Rob Gronkowski stays mum on NFL future despite Tom Brady's and Buccaneers' reported push

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking forward to avenging their 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round of last year's playoffs. Most of the gang is back and ready to roll once again in an effort to win the franchise's third Lombardi Trophy.

But tight end Rob Gronkowski remains on the fence as to whether or not he would like to return to the Buccaneers.

The future Hall of Fame tight end recently spoke to TMZ Sports, and this is what he had to say about his chances of returning to play:

"We'll see. I'm staying in shape a little bit. So, we'll see if I don't get too out of shape either. That won't be good for me."

Gronkowski then offered the following tidbit as a reference point which helped him to make his decision on whether to return:

"Gronk Beach may be the party that gets me back to football. Someone's going to throw me a pass on stage, I'll probably catch it, and be like, 'Man, I miss football.'"

The one thing that can't be disputed here is that no one parties like Robert James Gronkowski.

Can the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl without Rob Gronkowski?

NFC Wild Card Playoffs - Philadelphia Eagles v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

For the past few seasons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had lots of depth on their roster. This is thanks, in part, to GM Jason Licht, as well as seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

Since arriving in Tampa, several players have been swayed to either sign with the Bucs or to re-sign with them because the three-time NFL MVP always gives the team a chance to win the Super Bowl.

He swayed (for better or for worse) Antonio Brown, Leonard Fournette and Richard Sherman to sign with the team at a time when they were free agents. He also did the same for Gronkowski when the former New England Patriots tight end retired from the NFL after the 2018 season.

But some persuading from his good friend and former teammate Tom Brady caused him to join the Buccaneers in 2020.

If Gronkowski decides to remain retired this time, the team should still have enough to make noise in the NFC and battle the Los Angeles Rams for conference supremacy.

Brady still has Pro Bowl receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as options on the outside, and the team signed former Atlanta Falcons receiver Russell Gage to play the slot receiver.

In the event that Brady does need to throw to a tight end, Cameron Brate is an eight-year veteran and was the starter on the team before Gronk's arrival in 2020. And despite flirting with other teams in free agency, starting running back Leonard Fournette re-signed with a three-year, $21 million contract extension in hand.

Having Gronk in the fold for 2022 would be the icing on the cake. But if he doesn't return, Tampa has more than enough to make up for his loss and get back to the Super Bowl.