TAMPA, Fla. — Rob Gronkowski hasn’t ruled out returning to the Bucs to play another season, but at the very least he’s in no hurry to do so.

The team begins its voluntary offseason workout program next week, and the tight end didn’t even want to catch passes from Tom Brady at a charity event over the weekend for fear he might get the itch to begin training for the upcoming NFL season.

In an interview with TMZ, Gronkowski said he’s not ready to commit to playing football.

“I knew if I started catching some passes that my head would have started turning, like, ‘Oh, crap, I got to get back out on the field,’ ” Gronkowski said. “And, right now, I’m not ready to get back out on that field. I’m not ready to commit to the game of football right now.”

Gronkowski retired once from the NFL after winning Super Bowl 53 with the Patriots following the 2018 season.

But last year, he struggled with injuries once again. He missed five games with a rib injury, catching 55 passes for 802 yards with six touchdowns.

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It was March 22, 2021 when Gronkowski signed a one-year deal to remain with the Bucs. It’s clear he has no desire to attend the offseason program and could wait until the start of training camp to make a decision.

Gronkowski told TMZ he was not surprised Brady ended his retirement but didn’t think it would be this year.

“It was just incredible that he even retired,” Gronkowski said. “I knew that he was going to come back, but I didn’t think he was going to come back this year, to tell you the truth. I thought he would come back in like a year, you know, spend some time with his family, which he sure is.

“You know, the offseason is pretty long, so, he was like, ‘Man, I’ve got to get back to football. It’s only been two months, I’m ready to go again.’ I just didn’t think … it was going to be that soon. But glad to see him back. He’s not done, man. Let me tell you, the guy is 44 and he doesn’t look a day over 23 when he’s throwing the football around.”

DOLPHINS-PATRIOTS: The Patriots looked within their division to find some help at receiver, completing a trade with the Dolphins to acquire veteran DeVante Parker.

New England sent a 2023 third-round draft pick to Miami for Parker and a 2022 fifth-round pick.

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Parker, a 2015 first-round pick, arrives in New England with 338 receptions for 4,727 yards and 24 touchdowns. His most productive season was in 2019 when he finished fifth in the NFL with 1,202 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

But he has struggled with injuries throughout his seven seasons, appearing in only 24 games over the past two seasons.

BROWNS: After choosing not to tender Chase McLaughlin as a restricted free agent last month, Cleveland re-signed the kicker and could have him back for a second season after an up-and-down first one.

McLaughlin made 16 of 21 field-goal attempts last season, but his struggles down the stretch – 4 of 9 in his last five games – had the Browns looking for other options. They don’t have a better one to this point, so they’re bringing back the 26-year-old to compete for the job.

The Browns also have kicker Chris Blewitt on the roster but could bring in another kicker either in free agency or the draft.

RAMS: Punter Riley Dixon has signed with the Los Angeles Rams.

Dixon joined the Super Bowl champions after spending the past four seasons with the New York Giants, posting the two highest single-season net punting averages in franchise history during his tenure. New York released him last month.


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