WWE 24/7 Champion Rob Gronkowski returning to NFL

WWE’s 24/7 Champion is returning to the NFL.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network confirmed today that Rob Gronkowski has told the New England Patriots that he wants to play football again and wants to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. ESPN’s Adam Schefter then reported that, pending Gronkowski’s physical, the Patriots are trading Gronkowski and a seventh-round draft pick to the Buccaneers for a fourth-round draft pick.

Schefter added that the Buccaneers were the only team Gronkowski wanted to play for. Gronkowski’s agent Drew Rosenhaus also confirmed that his client is coming out of retirement and, pending his physical, has agreed to play for the Buccaneers.

WWE’s Twitter account wrote about the news: “#247Champion @RobGronkowski is on the move!!!”

Gronkowski was the host of both nights of this year’s WrestleMania. On night two of the show, Gronkowski did a spot where he dove onto a pile of wrestlers from the perch at the WWE Performance Center and pinned his friend Mojo Rawley to win the 24/7 title.

It was announced on WWE Backstage last month that Gronkowski was deep in talks about finalizing a deal with WWE. What his return to the NFL means for his WWE future remains to be seen.

Gronkowski, whose career had been impacted by injury issues, retired from the NFL after the 2018-2019 season. He made five Pro Bowls and was a first-team All Pro four times during his initial nine-year stint with the league.