After Rob Gronkowski retired, a handful of players contacted him trying to recruit him to their respective teams.
One of those players was Joe Burrow, and he never got a response.
On his podcast, DudesOnDudes, Gronkowski shared a hilarious story about why he ghosted Burrow following his recruiting effort. The legendary tight end said that in the past, he had been fooled by fake phone numbers and didn’t want to let his guard down.
“Fast forward I was like, I ain’t ever going to let that s–t happen to me ever again. I ain’t answering any random numbers,” he said. “…I get a text message, it’s Joe Burrow. ‘I would love for you to come to the Cincinnati Bengals.’ I was like, I ain’t getting got again. This is nuts, I ain’t falling for this s–t.”
Gronkowski found out years later that the text from Burrow was legit.
Gronkowski’s story brings up an interesting hypothetical. If he had believed the number was Burrow’s, would he have responded? If so, would he have come out of retirement to join the Bengals? Only Gronkowski knows the answer to those questions.
Gronkowski, who first retired in 2019, was willing to come out of retirement to play alongside Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That decision ultimately led to him and Brady winning another Super Bowl together.
Whether he and Burrow would have experienced similar success is up for debate, but it certainly would have been fun to watch.
Burrow and the Bengals could use Gronkowski this season amid their struggles.
Despite an MVP-caliber season from Burrow, who leads the league in passing yards (3,337) and touchdowns (30), Cincinnati is 4-8 and on the cusp of missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
The Bengals would need to win their remaining five games, but even that wouldn’t guarantee them a trip to the postseason. They’d also need some help from other teams.
With its chances to make the playoffs slim, Cincinnati will look to close out the season strong and prepare for an offseason of figuring out what needs to change. Perhaps part of the Bengals’ offseason plans will include trying to persuade Gronkowski to come out of retirement.
