

The Facts: The “Summer of Gronk” will continue, uninterrupted by the Bucs’ mandatory minicamp. Gronkowski remains unsigned and won’t be part of the team’s full squad workouts June 7-9. Officially, he’s undecided about this NFL future. Unofficially, the Bucs are optimistic he will re-sign with the team sometime before it reports to training camp in late July.
Diehards Line:
This according to Times staffer Rick Stroud, who notes the Bucs are giving Gronkowski all the space he needs this offseason to decide about whether to continue his career. He’s a free agent, but with Tom Brady unretiring for “unfinished business,” it seems highly unlikely Gronkowski would play with another quarterback. There are several signs that the Bucs are doing more than keeping the door open for his return, but nobody could begrudge Gronkowski from getting on with his post-football life. He retired once and has had multiple back surgeries, a torn ACL/MCL, a broken left forearm, a chest/lung contusion, four fractured ribs and a punctured lung. But Brady can be very persuasive. Until he announces a decision, Bucs fans have to be patient and content with watching the shirtless tight end at the Gronk Beach Las Vegas NFL draft party or on the talk show circuits.