Does Rob Gronkowski Make the Buccaneers Super Bowl 55 Favorites?
Rob Gronkowski is officially coming out of retirement. After a year away from football, “Gronk” will be lacing up his cleats and putting his pads back on in a few short months. The catch? He’ll be doing it in Tampa Bay with Tom Brady. Does the news make the Bucs the new Super Bowl 55 favorites?
Rob Gronkowski was just traded to the Buccaneers
In a shocking announcement Tuesday afternoon, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the Patriots are trading Rob Gronkowski to the Buccaneers to reunite with Tom Brady. The Pats will receive a fourth-round pick in the deal and send Tampa Bay a seventh-rounder.
Gronk last played in the NFL in 2018-19 with New England. He only scored three touchdowns during the year, but he ended the season with another Super Bowl ring. He retired after the season with three Super Bowls to his name.
Gronkowski ventured into the entertainment world in his brief retirement. He joined the WWE and even won the most recent title belt. Sadly, he’ll have to give it up when he returns to the football field.
The Buccaneers might have the best offense in the NFL in 2020
The Bucs have completely retooled their offense heading into the 2020 season. They dumped Jameis Winston and upgraded at the quarterback position with Tom Brady.
Even if Tampa Bay stopped there, the team would’ve entered the season as one of the scariest offenses in the league. They already had the best one-two punch at receiver in the NFL. Chris Godwin is a young star who was third in the league with 1,333 receiving yards last season.
On the other side, Mike Evans was 13th in the league with 1,157 yards receiving. The dynamic duo helped Winston throw for the most yards in the entire NFL last season. Now, with Tom Brady, the sky is the limit for this tandem.
If the Bucs’ top-notch receivers weren’t enough, adding arguably the greatest tight end of all time just makes it unfair for opposing defense. Tampa Bay will have a deep threat in Evans, an elite possession receiver in Godwin, and now add one of the most unguardable red zone targets in the history of football. Oh right, did we mention the greatest QB of all time will be throwing to them?
Checkmate, NFL defenses.
Does Gronkowski make the Bucs the new Super Bowl 55 favorites?
The Gronkowski trade did shift the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl 55 odds, but it did not make them the new favorite. Before acquiring Gronk, The Bucs’ Super Bowl odds were at 16-1.
After the news broke, Tampa Bay’s odds shot down to 11-1. They now have the fifth-lowest odds in the league to win the 2021 Super Bowl.
The Chiefs still hold the top spot to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Kansas City has +550 odds to win a second straight championship. The Ravens come in right behind them at +600. The 49ers and Saints are the only other teams ahead of the Bucs in terms of Super Bowl odds.
Tampa Bay’s defense still has plenty of holes to fill before the 2020 season, but its offense with Gronkowski is going to be virtually unstoppable. The NFL has morphed into an offensive-centric league, so the Buccaneers have as good a chance as any team to hold the Lombardi Trophy after the season.
The Bucs might not be the Super Bowl 55 favorites, but maybe they should be with their newest Hall-of-Fame addition.
