Rob Gronkowski Picks the 2020 Buccaneers Over the Patriots as His Best Team Ever

Last week, tight end Rob Gronkowski was voted by fans into the Hall of Fame for the team he’s most associated with: the New England Patriots. Gronk is a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day, so his selection by the New England faithful for their franchise Hall of Fame was a mere formality.

However, despite spending nine of his 11 NFL seasons in New England, and just two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s the latter that Gronkowski said was the best team he’s ever played on. Gronkowski won three Super Bowls with New England and one in Tampa—coming in the 2020 NFL season—and it’s that year’s Tampa team that stands out above all others for the five-time Pro Bowler.

Gronkowski made the revelation during the “4th and South” podcast on May 1 hosted by his former Bucs teammate, Leonard Fournette, as well as former NFL receiver Jarvis Landry. It was the latter who asked Gronk which team was better, his 2020 Bucs squad or any of the previous teams he played on. The 2020 season was Gronk’s first year in Tampa, so all of his previous teams came with the Patriots, but the tight end chose Tampa as the best unit he ever suited up for.

“Oh I would say, oh man, the 2020 Bucs, I would say skill-set,” Gronk replied as the best team he was on. “Skill-wise, I think that team was probably the best skill-set team that I have ever been a part of in my career.

“I mean, we had everyone, dude. We had Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, we had Antonio Brown, Lenny [Fournette], myself, Cam Brate, and then our other running back, Ronald Jones.”

Of course, there is one name Gronkowski left out, possibly based on his definition of a skill-position player. The tight end didn’t mention quarterback Tom Brady, who also steered the ship on all of the Patriots teams Gronkowski played on.

The two former Patriots both joined Tampa in 2020, with Brady coming over as a free agent after playing with New England the prior year. Meanwhile, Gronkowski spent the 2019 season out of football and in retirement, only to unretire once his former quarterback and good friend signed with the Buccaneers.

That Super Bowl-winning Tampa squad in 2020 certainly had both the personnel and the statistics to back up Gronkowski’s claim as being the best. The Bucs ranked third in points scored and second in passing offense despite not having a full assortment of playmakers all season. Brown played in just eight of 16 games, while Godwin missed four games, Fournette missed three contests, and Jones missed a pair of matchups.

The team really found its offensive groove late in the season, which continued throughout the postseason. After losing back-to-back games in Weeks 11 and 12, Tampa had a Week 13 bye and then proceeded to increase its points total in each of the final four games of the regular season.

The Buccaneers then scored 30-plus points in each of its four playoff games, despite being a Wild Card team and having to go on the road. They knocked off Washington in the Wild Card Round, New Orleans in the Divisional Round, Green Bay in the NFC Title Game and Kansas City in the Super Bowl. Three of the four teams they faced had top-10 scoring defenses.

As for some of his most potent Patriots squads, Gronkowski played on two New England teams that ranked No. 1 in scoring offense in both 2010 and 2012, with the latter also ranking No. 1 in total offense. However, neither of those teams won the Super Bowl, or even made it to The Big Game, as those great regular-season offenses stalled in the postseason.

As for Gronk’s three New England teams that did win Super Bowls in 2014, 2016, and 2018, their statistical rankings are right on par with his 2020 Bucs team, which ranked third in scoring. The 2016 Pats also ranked No. 3 in scoring offense, while the 2014 and 2018 teams each ranked fourth in scoring.

So, statistically speaking, Gronkowski is spot-on that his Bucs’ championship-winning team is the best he ever suited up for, even if Patriots fans would strongly disagree.

Chances are that Gronkowski won’t be discussing how awesome his Buccaneers’ tenure was when he is formally enshrined in the New England Patriots Hall of Fame during the 2026 NFL season. He will become the 38th member of the franchise’s hall, with recent inductees including Julian Edelman (2025), Brady (2024), and Mike Vrabel (2023). The Pats will announce the date and time for the ceremony after the NFL releases its 2026 schedule next week.

When Gronk is writing his Patriots Hall of Fame speech, he may be able to save some of it for roughly a calendar year later. That’s because Gronkowski becomes eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027, with its induction ceremony held annually in August. As a four-time champion, a four-time All-Pro, and ranking third, all-time, in touchdown receptions by a tight end (92), Gronk is a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer who will be awarded his gold jacket in 2027.