Rob Gronkowski responds to rumors of him returning for 2022 NFL season

Rob Gronkowski and the rest of the NFL sat by and watched two of the top quarterbacks flirt with a new chapter elsewhere. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady thought long and hard about going to new frontiers, but both ultimately returned to their respective teams. Of course, Aaron Rodgers lost his longtime teammate, Davante Adams, seemingly moments after he re-signed with the team.

Meanwhile, Tom Brady has also returned, and his longtime teammate is flirting with a new frontier. However, according to Dov Kleiman on Twitter, the tight end is reportedly "50/50" on whether he will return. If he does return, it would only be to play with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Here was what Kleiman said:

"Free-agent TE @RobGronkowski says he's 50/50 if he'll come back for another season in the NFL but if he does it will only be to play with Tom Brady and the #Buccaneers, per @CornellNFL. Gronk caught 117 passes for 1,651 yards and 16 TDs for Tampa Bay over the past two seasons."

Why do many expect Rob Gronkowski to return?

NFC Wild Card Playoffs - Philadelphia Eagles v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Those following Gronkowski closely in recent months should have expected a drawn-out decision process. In a video that surfaced two weeks ago, the tight end was caught talking about his future with what appears to be his barber.

In the video, the tight end was recorded on camera, saying that he would essentially pretend to draw out his retirement decision to respond to Tom Brady's retirement. The quarterback's retirement impacted the tight end, and he wanted to put Brady on the edge of his seat and stress him out in response.

He said he wanted to give the quarterback a "little scare." He envisioned the quarterback getting "scared" for "a couple of months." Then, Gronkowski would jump in like a hero. Some say he was just kidding. Others say this was his action plan.

Based on how he's drawn out his decision, most would say it was his action plan.

Of course, the tight end has already retired once from the game. In 2019, he didn't record a single statistic or log a single practice. Tom Brady had to play the entirety of the season without his top tight end. It was the last season No. 12 donned his jersey in Foxborough.

Since then, the duo has played two seasons together, winning the Super Bowl in 2020 and making the playoffs in 2021.