Where will Robert Gronkowski land in free agency?

By: Jake Rajala

The four-time Super Bowl champion Robert Gronkowski is set to become a free agent in 2022. Gronkowski, who is also referred to as “Gronk”, is coming off a season where he recorded 802 receiving yards and six touchdowns. It doesn’t appear that Gronk will be favored to return to Tampa Bay, as his long-time quarterback and friend Tom Brady recently retired.

Gronk will surely have plenty of teams interest in his services, as he’s one of the most decorated tight ends in NFL history. Here is a closer look at how much the former Pats and Bucs TE has accomplished:

• 9,286 career receiving yards
• 92 career receving touchdowns
• Four time All Pro selection
• Five time Pro Bowl selection
• Five time Super Bowl champion

The popular TE that’s featured on the USAA commercial is a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer. Yet, Gronk enjoys the game of football and he clearly wants to aim to be the greatest tight end of all time. He seems that Gronk won’t follow his best friend in retirement, but rather continue playing the game of football. Matter of fact, the Bucs TE has stated that he would love to play with the AFC champion Joe Burrow. So, it seems that the Bengals are a strong possibility to land Gronkowski. So, should the Bengals be expected to ink the TE? Well, here are all of the teams that would make a ton of sense to land Gronk.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals arguably carry the NFL’s most talented offensive trio with Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon, and Ja’Marr Chase. Gronk has gotten what he wants and he wants to play with Joe “Cool” Burrow. The current starting TE C.J. Uzomah ousted only 493 yards in the 2021 season. The Bengals could see a major dividend with a stud TE. The Bengals will clearly need to address the OL, but they do have the resources to ink Gronk, as well. Per “Over The Cap“, the Bengals are third in the NFL in cap space with roughly $57 million. Gronk is chasing championships and swag at this point in his career. He isn’t overly concerned about the money. He seems most intrigued by those qualities in Burrow and the Bengals right now.

Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers is coming off two straight MVP seasons and he even hasn’t had a major weapon outside of Davante Adams. Gronk could ideally be the TE that the Packers expected Jimmy Graham to be when they brought him over. Robert Tonyan took a major step back in 2021, as he only registered 204 yards and two touchdowns in eight games. Tonyan is also a free agent and it wouldn’t make sense that he returns after his 2021 performance.

Gronk could play with the only QB that was better than Tom Brady over the past two seasons with A-Rod in Green Bay. Tae and Gronk would be a nightmare in the less competitive NFC North. The Packers need to get over the hump in the playoffs and finally win a Super Bowl before Rodgers hangs up the cleats. Gronk can certainly be one of the options for LaFleur to ponder. The Packers are 31st in cap space, but they could get creative a few big contracts to get Gronk for the 2022 season.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders need another offensive weapon not named Desean Jackson to join Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs, and Hunter Renfrow. Jackson is also 35 years and coming off a season of a mere 221 yards. It would make plenty of sense for Raiders new head coach Josh McDaniels to target his former TE in New England Robert Gronkowski.

It’s fun to imagine Davante Adams reuniting with Carr, but they will most likely need to target good “value” weapons to add to their offense. The Raiders may need to get creative and overpay for Gronk, too. They may strike out on one of the top WRs in free agency, so it could be wise to target Gronk heavily on a short-term deal. They can’t afford to rely on free agent WRs late in the process to save them. Carr also needs a red-zone threat in his arsenal. Carr had only 23 passing touchdowns in 2021, which was good for 13th in the NFL.

Los Angeles Rams

Sean McVay has pressed the pedal to the metal over the previous few years and continued to aim to win a Super Bowl. Stafford matched his career high in passing touchdowns with 41. If he had Gronk added to the equation, he could contend for the passing TD record.

The Rams young head coach has brought over Sony Michel, Odell Beckham Jr, and Von Miller in the past year. It wouldn’t be a surprise if OBJ leaves the Rams this offseason, so McVay could look for more juice to fill in the shoes he leaves behind. Gronk could be entertained by the thought of joining the 2021 Offensive Player of The Year Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford if the Rams beat his crush in the Bengals on Super Bowl LVI. Tyler Higbee was the Rams go to TE in 2021, but he isn’t a star TE. He ousted 560 yards and five touchdowns – which aren’t unheard of stats.

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys suffered another early playoff exit and Prescott has to be fuming. To make matters worse, they could likely lose Michael Gallup via free agency and Amari Cooper via a trade this offseason. Jerry Jones will want to have his QB retaining madden-like numbers, so he should look to add a talented, cheaper player on a short-term deal. Prescott was a passing touchdown machine with 37 passing touchdowns in 2021. It will be vital that he retains that passing TD mark, especially if he loses one or two stud wideouts. Gronk is also a menace in the run game, which could help Zeke (1,002 rushing yards in 2021) return to stardom. The Boys are looking for more gold to climb in the NFC and not flame out early in the postseason. Gronk would be a big aid to the Cowboys effort of finally winning another Super Bowl.

Honorable mentions:

Seattle Seahawks

The idea of Gronk joining DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett would bring nightmares to defensive coordinator in the NFC West. Pete Carroll could please Wilson by finding him more help and Gronk could be licking his chops about the idea of playing with the Hawks elite QB. Wilson also only threw 25 passing touchdowns in 2021, which was 11th in the league. Gerald Everett has not been the spark that they’ve needed from the TE spot, as he had 478 yards and four touchdowns in 2021. The Hawks are also eighth in cap space in the league. They need to prioritize more explosion around Dangeruss and the TE is a position of need. The 49ers have George Kittle and the Cardinals have Zach Ertz. Gronk would be a fun addition to the NFC West.

Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson needs to return to MVP form and the addition of Gronk would be a massive step in that direction. Jackson threw a horrific low passing touchdown count with just 16. Their best weapon is essentially TE Mark Andrews, but that doesn’t mean they can’t add a TE2 that can dominate from the slot. It’s obvious that the Sammy Watkins experiment failed big time and Rashod Bateman from the 2021 draft can’t be the only help Jackson receives.

Tom Brady also passed down the torch to LJ via Instagram, so it would only be fitting if they received Gronk. The Ravens were 24th in passing touchdowns and 13th in passing YPG last season. The Ravens were last in the AFC North a season ago. They need to climb their way back and a champion like Gronk would add a lot of fuel to the engine.

New Orleans Saints

Gronk could be fascinated by staying in the division and playing with Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and potentially Jameis Winston. It’s been reported by Ian Rappaport that Thomas will not be traded by the Saints this offseason, as well. The Saints were ranked 32nd in passing offense a year ago and they honestly need a major upgrade from Adam Trautman at the TE position. Trautman was a record-setting TE at Dayton, but he has been a shell of free agent bust Coby Fleener in two seasons with the Saints. Trautman has 434 yards and three touchdowns over the past two seasons.

The Saints are also pushing for a Lombardi trophy, while they have had many elite aging profiles, so they could look for one golden addition (despite the cap issues). Dennis Allen, who is the new Saints head coach, is all too familiar with the magic of Gronk in the NFC South. He should borrow Gronk from TB and then they could chase a Super Bowl ring together for a couple of seasons.