Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski topped off their time as NFL teammates with four Super Bowl wins — but their friendship goes way beyond what happens on the field.
Super Bowl LV, which took place in February 2021, was the former New England Patriots’ quarterback’s 10th championship appearance. As a Patriot, Brady’s team won six of his nine appearances.
As for the New York native, he played in four Super Bowl games with the Pats, three of which ended in wins. Each of his past Super Bowls were played with Brady — and their return to the big game in February 2021 resulted in another trophy for both of them — this time as Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady shocked New England sports fans by announcing that he was leaving the Patriots for the Florida-based team in March 2020. He released a statement saying he would be “FOREVER A PATRIOT,” in a nod to his two-decade run with the team.
“To all my teammates, coaches, executives and staff, Coach [Bill] Belichick, [owner Robert Kraft] and the Kraft family and the entire organization, I want to say thank you for the past twenty years of my life and the daily commitment to winning and creating a winning culture built on great values,” he began.
In September 2020, he appeared on an episode of Dax Shepard‘s “Armchair Expert” podcast, where he revealed that it wasn’t easy to walk away from the team. “It’s a lot of emotions, a lot of memories,” he said.
Gronkowski was retired at the time. He announced his departure from the league in March 2019. “It all started at 20 years old on stage at the NFL draft when my dream came true, and now here I am about to turn 30 in a few months with a decision I feel is the biggest of my life so far. I will be retiring from the game of football today,” he shared via Instagram.
Brady, for his part, reacted to the news with a message of support. He commented on the Instagram post, “Love you man!! The [greatest of all time]!! Couldn’t be a better person or teammate!!!!”
The Entourage guest star and University of Michigan alum aren’t just teammates, however. They have a special friendship that started in Massachusetts. They played together on the Patriots for eight years before being traded to the Buccaneers in 2020 — a move tight end told WEEI-FM wasn’t planned.
“As a player, you always want to see what it is like somewhere else. [I] thought of that before, definitely after playing nine years in the NFL and I also thought about it when I came out of retirement,” she said in April 2020, adding, “But no, we never really talked about that before. It kind of just happened. With my retirement and him hitting free agency, it just kind of lined up like that.”
Fans love their dynamic on and off the field, no matter what team they play for. “Best friend vibes like Gronk & Brady,” one person tweeted of the relationship. Another football fan wrote, “I’m an embittered Texans fan, but I have to admit, I still find the Brady-Gronk BFF thing kinda charming.”
When it came time for Brady to hang up his cleats for good in February 2022, Gronkowski was one of the many friends who cheered him on for his past success.
“Thank you for your dedication to the game, putting the team in the best possible position to win every year, all the record[s] that were broken, the Super Bowls, the memories, and your friendship through the last 12 years,” the University of Arizona alum tweeted at the time.
Scroll through for a look at Brady and Gronkowski’s bromance through the years:
