When Tom Brady shockingly announced that he was leaving the New England Patriots to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, most people around the NFL thought it was just a matter of time before they got another reinforcement.
It didn't take long before Rob Gronkowski announced that he was coming out of his early retirement to run it back with his friend and teammate, leaving behind his past in Foxborough, where he won 3 Super Bowl rings.
So, after leaving Bill Belichick and having a year to heal and recover his body, Gronk started working his way back into game shape and ended up winning another Vince Lombardi trophy with Brady under center.
Rob Gronkowski Speaks Up On Facing The New England Patriots
Notably, it seems like Gronkowski is due for the biggest game of his career, which is a lot to say considering we're talking about a 4-time NFL champion. Now, however, he'll have to face the Patriots for the first time in his career when both teams clash in Week 4:
“That’s going to be pretty crazy,” Gronkowski told Buccaneers.com. “That’s going to be pretty epic. It’s definitely going to be emotional for sure I would say. You know I just had a great nine years. Probably the best nine years of my life. It was basically the beginning of my whole football career there. It’s definitely going to be heartfelt when I go back. I’ve just got to be prepared for that game for sure. I’ve got to be prepared for every game – but especially that one. It’s never going to be easy. It’s going to be tough. But it’s going to be a good one. It’s going to be different.”
Obviously, there will be a lot of feelings involved when Brady and Gronk set foot on Foxborough again. There will be a lot of pride in the game, as they'll certainly want to beat Belichick but will also love to thank their fans for all the years they spent together.
