Bills reportedly interested in adding Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski

The Buffalo Bills already fielded one of the best offenses in football in 2021, and it appears they want to make sure to have similar firepower in 2022 as well: Buffalo reportedly has an eye on adding tight end Rob Gronkowski to its arsenal.

The Bills already wanted to bring Gronkowski aboard last offseason, but he eventually decided to stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to continue playing alongside quarterback Tom Brady. With Brady retired, however, the outlook has changed and Buffalo might just have a chance to add Gronkowski to its offense.

According to a report by Tim Graham of The Athletic, “[t]here is hope at One Bills Drive that Gronkowski would be willing to finish his career in Western New York.”

A native of Amherst, which lies just 14 miles north of Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium, Gronkowski started his career in the AFC East: the New England Patriots, the Bills’ long-time division rivals, selected him in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Gronkowski went on to establish himself as arguably the best tight end in league history, helping the Patriots win three Super Bowls before his short-lived retirement in 2019. He returned the following season to join ex-Patriots QB Brady in Tampa Bay, adding a fourth championship to his first-ballot Hall of Fame résumé.

However, Gronkowski is scheduled to enter unrestricted free agency later this month. If the 32-year-old continues his career and makes it to the open market, a return to Western New York would make some sense — even if watching him in a Bills uniform would be a tough pill for Patriots fans to swallow.