Gronk dipped his toe in free agency, and then quickly pulled it back out.
The Buccaneers have announced tight end Rob Gronkowski’s official return, on a one-year deal.
The contract pays out a base amount of $8 million, with up to $2 million available in incentives. Voidable years and other accounting tricks kept the cap charge in 2021 to $3 million.
Gronk still has value, but he spent much of 2020 as a blocker. He eventually got more involved in the passing game, and he saved his best for last -- with a pair of touchdown passes in Super Bowl LV.
The Buccaneers largely has managed to keep their championship team together, re-signing Gronk, linebacker Shaq Barrett, receiver Chris Godwin (via the franchise tag), linebacker Lavonte David, and kicker Ryan Succop.
Key players not yet re-signed include receiver Antonio Brown, running back Leonard Fournette, and defensive tackl Ndamukong Suh.