Not a few quarters have seen fit to take the Patriots to task in the aftermath of the deal that had them sending hitherto-retired Rob Gronkowski and a seventh-round pick to the Buccaneers for a fourth-round pick. The three-time Super Bowl champion had already put up a body of work that placed him in rarefied air when he felt compelled to hang up his cleats in 2018; while fresh off a successful run to the top of the National Football League, he spoke of being worn down by the physical nature of the sport, needing a whopping 12 surgeries since being chosen 42nd overall in 2010 just to stay on the active roster. At the time, he left the titleholders hanging, with one season still left on his contract. Now, he gets to be reunited with quarterback Tom Brady while his erstwhile employers seemingly get little in return.
In truth, the Patriots had no choice but to give in to Gronkowski’s trade request. He certainly didn’t want to play for another franchise; it was the Buccaneers or bust for him. Which meant that they would have been left with nothing had he stayed retired, or forced to take a salary cap hit of $10 million had he suited up for them anew. True, he would have been a huge upgrade at tight end even if his heart lay elsewhere. On the other hand, they had only $2.1 million in space available, and would have had to do no small measure of financial calisthenics to make the numbers jibe — work more fit for use to address shortcomings in other positions.
Did the Patriots bend over backwards to accommodate Gronkowski? Perhaps. Did they, in the process, give the Buccaneers more ammunition to be used against them? Certainly. In any case, there can be no denying the motivation of head coach Bill Belichick: He finally gets the opportunity to prove that he can exceed expectations even without Brady under center. Given his trademark competitiveness, he has, no doubt, seethed over the contention that more of their accomplishments can be attributable to his longtime Hall-of-Fame-bound partner. And, yes, he figures to put the fourth-round pick he got to good use in this regard.
There can be no glossing over Gronkowski’s short-term value, though. His arrival fits perfectly with Brady’s timeline and the Buccaneers’ win-now mentality under coach Bruce Arians. His body, fit enough to claim a World Wrestling Entertainment title belt, doesn’t need to last long — just long enough for him and his good friend to produce results anew. And they will, though how much is anybody’s guess. They’re casting moist eyes on the hardware with reason. Meanwhile, the Patriots are looking farther down the road, confident of being proven right in the end.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
