Bruce Arians Says Tom Brady Was 'Adamant' About Buccaneers Trading for Rob Gronkowski

Rob Gronkowski is the newest member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as he was traded to the team from the New England Patriots in April, and for those who believed Brady played a big role in Gronk coming to Tampa, they would be right. Bucs head coach Bruce Arians was on ESPN's NFL Live on Thursday, saying how Brady got Gronkowski out of retirement. Brady also talked to Arians about bringing the former Patriots tight end to Florida.

"It was really Tom," Arians said. "Tom brought it up to me, and I didn't even think it was a possibility that [Gronkowski] wanted to come back. And [Brady] was adamant about, yeah, he really wants to play; he'd love to play with us. So [general manager] Jason Licht got the ball rolling with the Patriots, the conversation was there, and he's working out, he's in great shape and he's raring to go. So we're really looking forward to getting on the practice field."

Gronkowski retired after the 2018 season due to injuries he suffered during his nine seasons in the league. Taking a year off from football, Gronkowski is 100 percent healthy and ready to help the Bucs win a Super Bowl this fall. When talking to reporters in April, Gronkowski revealed he talked to Brady about playing together before Brady signed with the Bucs.

"I said if there's a right opportunity out there, and you go somewhere, and the opportunity is right, even if you go back to the Patriots ... there's a possible chance I would definitely love to reconnect," Gronkowski said. "Playing with Tom is special. He's one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. To build a connection with a quarterback, too, is something special. You've seen it many times with many other players - they can switch teams, and they might not have the same chemistry as they had with one of their other quarterbacks. We have great chemistry out there, and every time we get together, it's just like the old days."

Gronkowski was drafted by the Patriots in the second round in 2010. During his time in New England, Gronk helped the team win the Super Bowl three times and was named Comeback Player of the Year in 2014. He was also selected to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team and the 2010s All-Decade Team. Before being traded to the Bucs, Gronk was the host of WrestleMania 36 and won the WWE 24/7 Championship.