Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski form one of the greatest QB-pass catching duos in the history of the NFL, and they have a great bond off the field as well.
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Ever since Rob Gronkowski entered the league in 2010, he has played with Tom Brady. First, the pair made their mark together on the New England Patriots, and now they’re looking to form a new dynasty with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In fact, the only reason Gronk is still playing in the league currently is because of Tom Brady. The legendary tight end had retired for a year, citing injuries and mental health as the primary reason he wanted to step away for a bit. That season was also Brady’s last in New England. He would leave to the Buccaneers the next year, and the first thing he did was get Gronk to un-retire, and then have Tampa trade for him with New England.
Breaking down @RobGronkowski‘s Super Bowl LV dominance.
(by @BaldyNFL) pic.twitter.com/ppmRzxLYPG
— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2021
Rob Gronkowski reveals Tom Brady was tough on him when they first met
If there’s one thing you should know about Tom Brady, it’s that he’s an insane competitor. He will go to extreme lengths to satisfy his demand for perfection. This demand doesn’t just apply to him, it’s something he wants from his entire team.
So, when Rob Gronkowski entered the Patriots team Brady wasn’t going to take it easy on him, or ease the rookie into the NFL. Brady knew the league is a tough place, and he wanted to make sure his tight end was up to the task.
Gronk thought that Brady was being a little mean to him, but the current Buccaneers quarterback justified his attitude by saying it was all part of a process to get Gronk acclimated in the league and so that Brady knew what he was dealing with.
Breaking: @RobGronkowski says @TomBrady used to be a “meanie pants.” pic.twitter.com/uDlfkeVfUe
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 10, 2021
Well, whatever Brady did definitely worked. Gronk is one of the best tight ends in NFL history and him and Brady have connected for 90 touchdowns in the regular season and 14 in the postseason, ranking them second all time in touchdowns by a quarterback and pass catcher, trailing only Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison.
If the two continue to play for a few more seasons, it’s not unreasonable to think that they might beat Manning and Harrison’s record. They stand 22 touchdowns away from tying the regular season record (112) and only 11 away from tying both regular season and postseason touchdowns combined (114).