Rob Gronkowski

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski will attempt to capitalize on the rise of digital trading cards with the release of five limited edition "Championship Series NFT Collection" cards this week.

Gronk told TMZ Sports the unique collectibles, which include one card for each of his four Super Bowl titles numbered to 87 (his uniform number) and a lone special career highlight refractor card with his autograph, represent the future of the industry.

"I think having digital trading cards now is just gonna be unique and it's gonna blow it out of the water," he said in an interview released Tuesday. "Actual trading cards, I think will always be there, but I think it's leading toward a way where everything's digital."

Auctions for the cards begin Thursday at 7 p.m. ET in the OpenSea.io crypto marketplace. 

The winner of the auction for the career highlight card will also be given the opportunity to attend a Bucs game during the 2021 NFL season and have a meet-and-greet with Gronkowski.

Trading cards have enjoyed a remarkable comeback during the coronavirus pandemic, and the digital industry has started to reach similar levels in recent months, with NBA Top Shot highlight packs becoming an incredibly in-demand item.

Gronkowski worked with artist Black Madre to create his set of cards, per TMZ.

The five-time Pro Bowl selection returned from a one-year retirement to join longtime New England Patriots teammate Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.

He didn't post huge numbers during the regular season, tallying 45 catches in 16 games, but he shined when it mattered most with a pair of touchdown catches in the Buccaneers' 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV last month.

That championship triumph will be commemorated in the card set with the tight end doing his signature "Gronk spike" celebration.

The 31-year-old will go down as one of the top tight ends in history, having already been named to the NFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019, which could make his digital cards a hot commodity.

The Miz dropped the WWE Championship to Bobby Lashley on Monday's episode of Raw, but The A-Lister still has his sights set on a big match. 

During an appearance on Yahoo Sports' The Rush, Miz was asked which athlete he would like to face in a wrestling match:

Miz challenged Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski to a tag team match against himself and longtime friend John Morrison.

Gronk is no stranger to the world of WWE, as he has made multiple appearances for the company over the years.

At WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, Florida, four years ago, Gronkowski got involved in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and help his friend, Mojo Rawley, win the match.

Last year, Gronk actually signed with WWE and served as the host of WrestleMania 36. He also beat Rawley for the 24/7 Championship at WrestleMania and held it for nearly two months before dropping it to R-Truth.

Gronk put his WWE aspirations on hold when he decided to return to the NFL after a one-year retirement. He joined Brady in Tampa after Brady decided to leave the New England Patriots for the Bucs in free agency, and the move paid dividends for both players.

Brady and Gronk led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs with Gronk scoring two touchdowns and Brady being named Super Bowl MVP.

Brady further cemented his status as the GOAT quarterback with his seventh Super Bowl win, while Gronkowski solidified his Pro Football Hall of Fame resume as well with his fourth Super Bowl win.

Miz and Morrison vs. Brady and Gronk would undoubtedly be a huge deal in WWE, although it is unclear if Brady has any interest in trying his hand at pro wrestling.

One celebrity match that could happen at next month's WrestleMania 37, however, is Miz and Morrison against Damian Priest and rapper Bad Bunny, who is the reigning 24/7 champion.

Miz and Morrison have had several run-ins with Bad Bunny, which would make them natural opponents for Bad Bunny's first true match should WWE decide to go in that direction.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Two of the all-time greatest University of Arizona football players will play a role in the Wildcats' spring game April 24.

According to Justin Spears of Tucson.com, Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch revealed that Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski will serve as a coach in the spring game, and he will coach against former New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who is now a senior adviser to Fisch.

Spears noted that it will mark Gronk's first appearance at Arizona Stadium since the 2011 spring game following his NFL rookie season with the Pats.

Gronk, 31, played for the Wildcats from 2007-08, registering 75 receptions for 1,197 yards and 16 touchdowns in 22 games.

He was selected by the Pats in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft and went on to become one of the best tight ends in NFL history.

In his nine seasons with the Pats, Gronk recorded 521 catches for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns. He was also named a Pro Bowler five times and First-Team All-Pro four times while winning three Super Bowls.

Gronk retired for one season, but he returned in 2020 and followed quarterback and close friend Tom Brady to Tampa. That decision paid dividends, as Gronk won his fourth Super Bowl, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the Super Bowl LV win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

The 47-year-old Bruschi was a defensive lineman at the University of Arizona from 1991-95. He was a three-time All-Pac-10 selection, two-time Consensus All-American and the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 1995.

Bruschi was selected by the Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL draft and quickly converted to linebacker.

He went on to become one of the most beloved figures in franchise history, spending all 13 of his NFL seasons in New England. Bruschi was a three-time Super Bowl champion, one-time Pro Bowler and the 2005 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

With the spring game, Arizona will look to get the 2021 season off on the right foot, as it went 0-5 last season and finished with a losing record in each of the past three campaigns.

That led to the firing of Kevin Sumlin and hiring of Fisch, who was the Patriots' quarterbacks coach last season.  

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrated their Super Bowl title in front of fans in a boat parade Wednesday on the Hillsborough River. 

There was plenty of enjoyment throughout the day, with Tom Brady even tossing the Lombardi Trophy between the boats:

When the trophy wasn't at risk, the players were seen dancing and partying on various boats throughout the parade:

Brady came through in his own multi-million-dollar boat that he purchased in December.

The players were ready to celebrate even before they left land:

Some Bucs also took a shot at Brady with shirts immortalizing the quarterback's famous picture from the NFL scouting combine in 2000:

While the boat parade kept the distance between the players and fans, there was no shortage of people watching along the river:

Not everyone had a great time as Scotty Miller apparently dropped Chris Godwin's phone in the river:

It otherwise appeared to be plenty of fun for all those involved.

The event comes three days after the Buccaneers earned a 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs for the franchise's first title in 19 years.

The city also held a boat parade for the Tampa Bay Lightning after their Stanley Cup title in September, allowing a safer atmosphere for those involved amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady are one of the most prolific, successful duos in NFL history, but there's a specific reason the two have never partied together. 

Appearing on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Gronkowski said the age difference between him and Brady has made it difficult to coordinate their party schedules (starts at 3:18 mark):

"We got a pretty significant age difference, too, if you really think about it," Gronkowski said. "When I got into the NFL, I was 20 years old. He was 32 years old and married. ... He wasn't gonna be hanging out with a 20-year-old that he barely knew, going out on the streets with me and my friends when he's married at 32 years old with a kid."

Despite occupying different social circles, Gronkowski and Brady have made their partnership work on the field. They connected for two touchdowns in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 31-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. 

Gronkowski's first-quarter touchdown was his 13th postseason score from Brady, moving them past Joe Montana and Jerry Rice for most all-time among teammates. 

Four of Brady's seven Super Bowl victories have come while playing with Gronkowski. 

Super Bowl LV might be over, but Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Rob Gronkowski is still spiking the ball in the end zone.

Gronkowski was a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden on Tuesday. Host James Corden quipped that the fan who ran onto the field during the game would've helped the Kansas City Chiefs' struggling offense, to which the five-time Pro Bowl tight end agreed.

"He actually scored," Gronkowski said. "The Chiefs didn't. He scored. They should definitely sign him."

Kansas City outgained Tampa Bay 350-340, but the 31-9 scoreline illustrated the gap between the two teams. Patrick Mahomes faced constant pressure from the Bucs defense and finished with his second-worst QBR (49.9) of the season, per ESPN.com.

Once Mahomes was neutralized, the AFC champions didn't stand a chance. Unless the streaker could play left tackle, he probably wouldn't have been of much use to the Chiefs.       

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski appeared Tuesday on Good Morning America to discuss the Bucs' Super Bowl LV win over the Kansas City Chiefs and his NFL future.

Gronk retired after the 2018 season and sat out all of 2019 before returning in 2020. He told GMA host and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan that he feels "the best" he has ever felt:

Gronkowski noted he felt "unbelievable walking off the field" Sunday compared to two years ago when he won his final Super Bowl with the New England Patriots over the Los Angeles Rams.

Gronk said he isn't dealing with any injuries and is feeling fresh coming off a 20-game season, which could bode well for his chances of returning in 2021.

While Gronkowski didn't 100 percent commit to playing in 2021, his comments suggest he is leaning that way.

Strahan noted Gronkowski is set to become a free agent for the first time, and the fun-loving Gronk enjoyed joking about that prospect:

The 31-year-old veteran concluded the free-agency talk by saying: "I don't see why I wouldn't [return in 2021,] and I don't see why I wouldn't be back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers."

If Gronk does return to play for the Bucs next season, it stands to reason that his relationship with quarterback Tom Brady will be a big reason.

Brady has been Gronk's quarterback in each of his 10 NFL seasons, and Brady's decision to sign with the Bucs during the offseason was the catalyst for Gronkowski's NFL return after one season away.

Gronkowski and Brady are close friends, and Gronk admitted he doesn't know if he would have come out of retirement had Brady retired:

He also discussed the special on-field connection he has with Brady, saying they have always "worked hard" in practice and in game situations to continue building what they have.

Their connection was quite evident during the Super Bowl, as Gronk made six receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns in Tampa's 31-9 blowout of the Chiefs.

Gronkowski's regular-season stats were modest with 45 grabs for 623 yards and seven scores, but he was clearly fresh for the postseason.

His ability as a pass-catcher and blocker undoubtedly played a huge role in the Bucs winning their second-ever Super Bowl, and retaining him for 2021 could be a major key to their repeating.

Rob Gronkowski has learned from his past mistakes.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end said on ESPN that he has yet to lay a hand on this year's Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LV over the Kansas City Chiefs with former New England Patriots teammate Tom Brady.

There's good reason the team hasn't handed the trophy over to the former Patriot.

Gronkowski damaged one of the Patriots' six Lombardi Trophies in April 2019, when he joined his Patriots teammates on Opening Day for the Boston Red Sox. They were at Fenway Park to be honored as Super Bowl champions. Using one of the trophies as a bat, Gronkowski bunted Julian Edelman's warm-up for the first pitch, denting the trophy.

"You knew something was going to go wrong when you hand out the six Lombardi trophies," defensive back Jason McCourty said, "especially one to Rob Gronkowski with idle time."

Gronkowski jokingly said he blames Edelman for the incident, and he said he's looking forward to treating this one "with respect" if the Buccaneers let him lay his hands on it. 

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are used to it. 

After winning their fourth Super Bowl together when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers upended the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs 31-9, the pair celebrated on the sidelines and acknowledged their NFL success.

Gronkowski was a part of three of Brady's six Super Bowl championships that he won as a 20-year member of the New England Patriots. 

When the quarterback fled south last March when he hit free agency, Gronkowski decided to come out of retirement to join him. 

Gronkowski collected 623 yards and seven touchdowns on 45 receptions during the regular season and was the hero in the Super Bowl, where he found the end zone for two of the Buccaneers' three touchdowns. 

The pair appeared to chalk this victory up to experience.