Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski told TMZ Sports that he is coming back for the 2021 NFL season. This isn’t the first time that Gronkowski has said he wants to return for another year in the NFL – presumably in Tampa Bay. But with free agency starting on Monday, March 15, it’s the most recent indication that he will be catching passes again from Tom Brady in 2021.

“I’m coming back to play football,” said Gronkowski, who turns 32 in May. “I’m coming back. I had a great year last year. We won the championship.

“I will be back playing football, man. I love the game of football, and I loved playing last year and had a great time. We won it all. Even if we didn’t win it all I tell you this – I was coming back to play football again this year because I had a blast last year. I love the game. I just started my training again.”

Last April, the Bucs traded for Gronkowski, who retired after the 2018 season and sat out the entire 2019 campaign. In his first season with the Bucs, Gronkowski caught 45 passes for 623 yards (13.8 avg.) and scored seven touchdowns as Tampa Bay’s starting tight end in 2020. He caught eight passes for 110 yards in the postseason, including six passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s 31-9 win over Kansas City in Super Bowl LV.

“It felt good to go out there and help the team out,” Gronkowski said. “Just look at the team that we had. We had so much talent. We had so much talent at every position. The guys were all great guys and let me tell you, there were no on that was selfish on our team. That’s what helped us win a championship.”

Gronkowski said he took three days off and resumed training for four days straight. Click on the video to find out what else Gronkowski told TMZ Sports.