Cardinals void at tight end can be filled by Rob Gronkowski

Four-time Super Bowl champion, Rob Gronkowski, would bring talent, experience, and charisma to the Arizona Cardinals tight end position.

The start of free agency is less than three weeks away, and the Arizona Cardinals are preparing to deal with a huge hole at a particular area of their roster. A four-time Super Bowl champion is now being mentioned as a viable answer for that pronounced void.

Pro Football Network’s Adam Beasley has listed Arizona as a potential landing spot for Rob Gronkowski, the five-time Pro Bowler who spent the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Cards’ top two players at the spot, Zach Ertz and Maxx Williams, are both headed for free agency. Could the club turn to the charismatic Gronkowski as a possible replacement for the unsigned duo?

Gronkowski and longtime New England Patriots teammate Tom Brady reunited in Florida two years ago, helping the 2020 Buccaneers secure their second Vince Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. The future Hall of Fame quarterback has retired, however, a move that could prompt “Gronk” to seek employment elsewhere in 2022.

Rob Gronkowski could be an excellent fit with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022

A union between Gronkowski and the Cardinals could make sense in several ways. The 32-year-old played his college ball at the University of Arizona, so a free-agent agreement with the Redbirds would be a homecoming of sorts for the 11th-year veteran.

Inking a deal with the Cards would also afford Gronkowski the chance of playing with one of the league’s up-and-coming young signal-callers. Kyler Murray, despite his struggles down the stretch in 2021, is a 24-year-old who has already represented the organization in two Pro Bowls.

The 6-foot-6, 265-pound Gronkowski could also look at the success at the position that Ertz enjoyed when he was acquired by Arizona last fall. Head coach and play-caller Kliff Kingsbury suddenly made the tight end a major component of the offense again by targeting Ertz an eye-popping 81 times in just 11 matchups.

No one would argue with the fact that Ertz was a fantastic addition, but his return to the “Valley of the Sun” is far from a done deal. There are also those who would tell you that Gronkowski is a better alternative. Perhaps that faction of the fanbase would be correct.