Report: 40% chance of Rob Gronkowski ‘unretirement'

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Rob Gronkowski and Brett Favre don't have much in common...yet. 

Pro Football Talk reporter Mike Florio compared the two on Tuesday after a source close to the retired tight end told Florio there's a 40% chance of Gronkowski coming back in 2019. Florio noted that a possible appeal from Tom Brady and an itch to get back to playing football could eventually sway Gronkowski out of retirement. Florio also speculates that Gronkowski may come back for the "good stuff," the end of the season and playoffs.

"For now, Gronk isn’t thinking about football," Florio writes. "He’s enjoying his life, he doesn’t need the money, and he’s having a blast. The question becomes whether Gronkowski misses his teammates and/or the games after August becomes September. While he won’t miss dealing with training camp and the preseason, he could miss the game once they start playing games that count."

Since retiring from the NFL, Gronkowski has posted cryptic messages about coming back on social media, chatted up Drew Brees at the ESPYs about apparently coming back, and caught passes from Tom Brady at UCLA, fueling comeback speculation. 

Separately, sources have told Florio that New England head coach Bill Belichick has been supportive of Gronkowski, and has developed a softer, more "player-friendly" approach as his Super Bowl rings pile up. 

Still, until Gronkowski decides definitively one way or another, the Brett Favre-esque retire-unretire speculation will continue. 

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