With 42 seconds left in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ divisional round playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday, Bucs running back Leonard Fournette scored a touchdown from nine yards out. That put the score at 27-27, and gave the Bucs a most impressive comeback from a 27-3 deficit halfway through the third quarter. At that point, everybody assumed that Tom Brady was going to do his usual Tom Brady thing, and the Bucs were going to progress in their quest to Run it Back.
Then, Matthew Stafford did a new Matthew Stafford thing, driving his Rams down the field, Matt Gay kicked a game-winning 30-yard field goal as time expired, and just like that, Tampa Bay’s season was over.
Right after that, the futures of Brady and longtime teammate Rob Gronkowski were questioned. Would Brady come back for his age 45 NFL season, and would Gronk follow?
This, we do not yet know.
Year 11 in the books 📚 What a ride it’s been. Grateful to the Bucs for giving me an opportunity to play another year. To my teammates, thank you for giving everything you had. The sweat we shed & memories made will never be forgotten. Thanks to the #Krewe too 🏴☠️
Year 12??? 👀
— Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski) January 25, 2022
What we do know is that Gronk isn’t one of those guys who refuses to watch the playoffs after he’s eliminated. From January 24-February 2, Groupon is inviting fans to enter daily for a chance to win an over-the-top Big Game viewing experience at Gronk’s 4,486 square-foot home in Foxborough, Mass. for themselves and up to 15 friends for a once in a lifetime experience that most football fans could only dream of. The grand prize winner will be flown to Boston to take over Gronk’s house for a watch party complete with local Groupon experiences (indoor bounce house, anyone?) that will ensure this is one epic party.
Fans who aren’t selected as the grand prize winner will still have the chance to enter through Feb. 20, to win and experience one of many other bonus baller prizes that Groupon has to offer, including:
- A trip for two to Las Vegas from MGM
- A trip for two to Cancun from Great Value Vacations
- VIP New Kids on the Block Concert Experience from Live Nation (See them on their Mixtape Tour Summer 2022!)
- Blue Man Group Experience in NYC or Chicago
Fans can learn more and enter to win at www.partylikeaplayer.com.
“I teamed up with Groupon, and I love their experiences,” Gronk told me this week. “I’ve been aware of Groupon for a long time, so when this opportunity was presented, I heard it out and thought it was a great idea. We came up with the idea to have an ultimate Super Bowl party. I mean, I play in the NFL, and Groupon, they’re the experienced pros at throwing things like this, and it was a boom-boom situation. It just made a lot of sense.
“I’m known to party… that was back in my heyday, when I used to get after it. I still love to have a good time, don’t get me wrong, and I think a Super Bowl party is the time to have a good time. That’s what makes football so great, and I actually learned that in my year off. I learned that why people love to watch the game so much is that you can watch the game and be doing many other things at the same time, and still know exactly what’s going on in the game. That’s the kind of experience we’re throwing.
“You can be in an indoor bounce house in my basement. Indoor mini-golf. I mean, while you’re watching the game. I mean, I was watching games when I was retired, hanging with my friends. We were playing cornhole and busting each others’ chops. We’re talking, and then we look up, and boom! It’s even more entertainment, because there’s a big hit in the game, or a big play. Football just keeps you entertained the whole time, and while you’re also doing something else, like a party experience. So, this is just a boom-boom situation.”
Another boom-boom situation? Watching tape with the best tight end in NFL history when the opportunity presents itself. I was able to do this in late September, when Gronk was working through some early-season injuries…
Watching five plays from the 2021 season with Buccaneers TE Rob Gronkowski
…and he was happy to discuss more plays from the second half of the season, when he was healthy and looked like the Gronk we’re used to.
