Rob Gronkowski likely would be a spectator at Super Bowl LV if he didn't pick up a phone call (or several phone calls) from Tom Brady.
After signing with theĀ Buccaneers in March, Brady convinced his former New England Patriots tight end to come out of retirement and join him in Tampa Bay. Nearly one calendar year later, Brady and Gronk are headed to their sixth Super Bowl together after their Bucs beat the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.
We all saw Brady's epic Instagram video with Gronk after the victory, but how did the two longtime teammates celebrate in the immediate aftermath of reaching another Super Bowl?
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Gronkowski relayed their locker room conversation Monday night on The Late, Late Show with James Corden.Ā
āWe just gave each other a big hug and said, āThis is what itās all about. This why we came down here. This is our dream,āā Gronk told Corden.Ā āAll the work we put in --Ā we knew we had to put a lot of work in -- and just coming to an organization that was ready for success. A lot of great players on this team, a lot of great coaches.
"So we gave each other a big hug and said, āMan, weāre doing it. Weāre doing it big. And itās for real. Weāre going to the Super Bowl. We came down to Tampa, man. Letās finish it off.' "
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It seems a bit surreal that Brady and Gronk are headed to the Super Bowl with another team. And while (most) Patriots and their fans want their former teammates to succeed, it has to hurt watching the duo find so much success -- and have so much fun doing it -- with another organization.
"To go play with Tom again, the opportunity was ā¦ I just felt like it was right to go down there and play," Gronkowski said about his decision to come out of retirement. "And now to get here, weāre going to the Super Bowl, this is what itās all about. Obviously, we came down here to go all the way. But, to go all the way this quickly the first year, itās just unbelievable, man."
Gronkowski and Brady both plan to return to the Bucs in 2021, so even if Brady wins his seventh championship in 10 tries and Gronk wins his fourth in six tries, their post-Patriots honeymoon period likely isn't over yet.