Rob Gronkowski will get his familiar quarterback in Tom Brady as he’s now a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will also be donning a his typical No. 87 while down in Florida. The Buccaneers have already assigned the tight end No. 87 on their roster which is currently displayed online. Jordan Leggett, who was the previous owner of the number, has been switched to No. 81.
In the midst of the hoopla that ended up with Gronkowski coming out of retirement to later be traded to the Bucs to be reunited with Tom Brady, Leggett joked that he’d sell No. 87 to him for $1 million. It didn’t take too long, however, for Leggett to come to the realization that he may not have enough clout within the organization to dictate his number and took a rather comical self-deprecating jab at himself.
“When it’s all said and done, I’ll probably have to pay Gronk to take my number,” he tweeted.
With the number switcheroo taken care of, the Buccaneers can now simply look at a pass-catching group that looks like a fantasy football roster in terms of name value. The presence of Chirs Godwin and Mike Evans was already enough to serve as a drastic improvement of talent that Tom Brady had a season ago in New England. Adding Gronkowski into the mix gives this offense even more potential to be a nightmare for opposing defenses.
“Rob Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends in NFL history and he plays the game with the type of passion and desire that sets him apart,” said Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht in a statement released by the team. “Rob has played his entire career alongside Tom Brady and their accomplishments speak for themselves. Together they have developed the type of chemistry on and off the field that is crucial to success. Rob combines elite-level skills as both a receiver and blocker but what really makes him special is the fact that he’s a proven winner who brings that championship mindset and work ethic.”
Tom Brady and Gronkowski have connected for 78 touchdowns throughout their time together, which is the most out of any pass-catcher that Brady has played with in his two-decade long career.
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