Congratulations to the Denver Broncos, who, after nearly a decade of irrelevancy, managed to creep their way back into being semi-relevant. Bravo, Broncos, really.
Kansas City Chiefs fans will enjoy the latest "Oh but the Broncos are back!" rumor, as former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski has reportedly said he's considered unretiring for the second time to play with them. Okay then.
Another report from Benjamin Allbright said that the Gronk stuff "is probably a nothing burger" and that "Gronk has tossed around the idea of getting back in shape and maybe making a comeback. No formal decision. No formal conversation with Broncos."
Rob Gronkowski might be eyeing a return to NFL and wants to join AFC West if so
Gronk can say whatever he wants but the fact of the matter is that, if he did return, he would not be the same guy that he was during his hey day with the Patriots. He retired in 2019 because of all of the injuries he had suffered during those Super Bowl runs with the Pats and then unretired when Tom Brady signed with the Buccaneers so that he could play with his old buddy in Tampa.
After two seasons back in the league, Gronkowski retired again and hasn't played a snap since the 2021 season. That, paired with Gronk turning 36 in May and having a cushy broadcasting gig with FOX, is a recipe for him to likely stay retired and not reenter the dojo. Ian Rapoport says this is the case too, calling the recent rumors "nonsense".
The difference between Gronk potentially coming back and Travis Kelce continuing to play (yes, somehow they're the same age) is that Gronk has been retired on two separate occasions and hasn't played a snap in over three years while Kelce has been playing at a high level the entire year. If Gronkowski did want to return and play for the Broncos for whatever reason, it's likely he'd come to regret that decision when the team didn't have a Patriots-type of run that he was used to in New England.
Either way, if the Broncos want this to happen, let it happen. The Chiefs have won nine straight AFC West division titles and have three Super Bowls to their name over the past decade so adding a 36-year-old tight end who hasn't played a snap in three years is not something to fret over.