Denver Sports' Cecil Lammey sent shockwaves through the NFL world when he reported that legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski is eyeing a comeback.
Lammey said Gronkowski is training to come out of retirement, loosely connecting the four-time Super Bowl champion to the Denver Broncos. However, it didn't take long for renowned insiders like NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Benjamin Allbright of KOA Colorado to quickly shoot down the rumor.
"Nope," Rapoport stated in a direct reply to Lammey's post on X (formerly known as Twitter), before calling the Gronk-Denver noise "nonsense." Moreover, Allbright spoke to Broncos general manager George Paton about the chatter, who effectively ended the pipe dream by making light of the situation.
Broncos GM George Paton on the Gronk rumors 🗣️ “I just heard that on my way over here. That’s pretty cool he wants to be a Bronco.” 👀
— KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM (@KOAColorado) February 25, 2025
Should the Broncos entertain the idea? 🤔#KOACombine pic.twitter.com/G4Y5M7Zayb
Rob Gronkowski-Broncos rumor is absolutely as bogus as it sounds
"We just signed him, actually, in my room," Paton jokingly told Allbright. The Broncos executive then added that he caught wind of the Gronkowski buzz on the way to his interview with the latter. With that in mind, we can safely put the speculation to bed.
For whatever it's worth, Paton did add that it's "pretty cool [Gronkowski] wants to be a Bronco," so maybe he's open to the idea. Regardless, his comments suggest it's a non-story unless the future Hall of Famer says otherwise.
Gronkowski ostensibly won't be joining the Broncos. Allbright went straight to the horse's (Paton) mouth to assess the validity of Lammey's claims, discovering that the scuttlebutt was merely pie in the sky.
While Gronkowski has already returned to the league once after hanging up the cleats, it seems unlikely he'll do it again. The 35-year-old publicly stated he's "happily retired" in 2023 and has a great post-playing career gig as an NFL analyst for FOX Sports analyst. Why give that up, especially for a Broncos club that is arguably the third-best team in its division?
Ranking third in all-time among tight ends in touchdowns (92) with 9,286 receiving yards on 621 receptions, Gronk has nothing left to prove. He left it all out on the field in his 11 seasons as a pro, cementing himself as one of the best at his position.