Tampa Bay acquired Rob Gronkowski and a seventh-round pick…
Tampa Bay acquired Rob Gronkowski and a seventh-round pick from New England for a fourth-round selection after Gronkowski came out of retirement to reunite with Tom Brady. Gronkowski delivered 1,425 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns over two regular seasons and caught two touchdowns in Tampa Bay's Super Bowl LV victory. New England used the fourth-round asset in a larger trade-up that produced Devin Asiasi and Justin Rohrwasser, neither of whom became a comparable contributor. Tampa Bay won overwhelmingly.
New England Patriots Received
- pick 2020 4th round pick (139th overall; traded with picks 100 and 172 to Las Vegas for picks 91 and 159; Las Vegas selected Amik Robertson at 139)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Received
- player Rob Gronkowski
- pick 2020 7th round pick (241st overall, Chapelle Russell)
Trade Analysis
Tampa Bay acquired Rob Gronkowski from New England in April 2020, sending the Patriots a fourth-round pick while receiving Gronkowski and a seventh. Gronkowski had retired after the 2018 season, but Tom Brady's move to Tampa convinced his longtime teammate to return. The Buccaneers were effectively buying the rights to a future Hall of Fame tight end who would only play if New England traded him.
The football result was exceptional. Gronkowski played all 16 regular-season games in 2020, catching 45 passes for 623 yards and seven touchdowns. His biggest contribution came in Super Bowl LV, when he caught two touchdown passes from Brady in Tampa Bay's 31-9 victory over Kansas City. He returned for 2021 and was even more productive on a per-game basis, catching 55 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. Across the two regular seasons, Tampa Bay received 100 catches, 1,425 yards and 13 scores.
New England at least converted a retired player's rights into draft capital. The fourth-round pick, No. 139, was packaged with Nos. 100 and 172 in a trade with Las Vegas for Nos. 91 and 159. The Patriots selected tight end Devin Asiasi and kicker Justin Rohrwasser with those acquired selections. Neither became a lasting impact player, so the downstream return never approached what Gronkowski produced in Tampa.
The Patriots' side should still be viewed in context: Gronkowski was not going to return for New England, so gaining a fourth-round asset had logic. That prevents the grade from being an outright failure.
Tampa Bay keeps an A+ because the trade directly contributed to a championship. New England rises from D to C+ for recovering value from a retired player, but the Buccaneers won overwhelmingly.