TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans hoping for future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski to change his mind on retirement may not want to hear what teammate Mike Evans had to say about the chances.
Evans, Tampa's number one receiver, called Gronk the best tight end ever and said losing him would hurt, but he still hopes Gronk might change his mind.
"I hope he comes back," Evans told Ari Alexander of Houston NBC affiliate KPRC. "With Tom (Brady) and Gronk, you never know now. I wouldn't be mad if he came back. Our guys would be really excited if he came back."
Still, Evans said he feels like Gronk is done with football.
"He takes a pretty big beating," Evans said. "I've seen his body after some of them games and I understand why (he would choose to retire from the NFL)."
Losing Gronk will leave a large tight-end-sized hole in the offense. The only tight end on the roster who has played significant snaps in the NFL is Cameron Brate.
