NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette said on the Rich Eisen Show that he could have made over $10 million in name, image and likeness (NIL) deals if they were allowed by the NCAA during his time at LSU:

Fournette was a superstar for the Tigers. He notably amassed 2,206 yards and 23 touchdowns during the 2015 season, which followed a 1,161-yard, 10-touchdown performance the year before despite sharing the backfield with Terrence Magee.

Naturally, Fournette would have broken the bank at LSU, one of the biggest football programs in the country and a place where over 100,000 people routinely watch home games.

The $10 million estimate may not be all that far off. Per Stewart Mandel of The Athletic, an unnamed 5-star Class of 2023 recruit inked an NIL deal with a school's NIL collective that could land him up to $8 million.

Fournette entered LSU as the No. 1 recruit in the country for the class of 2014, so he likely could have filled his coffers right away.

Alas, the NIL rules were not in place until July 1, 2021. Fournette was able to cash on his skills in the NFL, though, and just signed a three-year, $21 million deal to stay with the Bucs.

Rob Gronkowski has officially announced his retirement from the NFL, with his next stop likely to be the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The tight end wraps up an impressive career as one of the best offensive players of his generation:

Assuming he doesn't return to the field—as he did after his first retirement in 2019—Gronkowski will be eligible for the Hall of Fame class of 2027. It could put him in a class with former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as potential first-ballot options.

Gronkowski is certainly qualified based on his statistics as one of the most productive tight ends in NFL history.

The 33-year-old totaled 621 catches and 9,286 receiving yards, while his 92 receiving touchdowns ranks third all time among tight ends and 12th overall. Injuries held him back throughout his career, but he still averaged 64.9 receiving yards per game, well ahead of Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (56 yards per game).

When healthy, Gronk was truly dominant with four first-team All-Pro selections and five seasons with at least 10 touchdown catches.

The production continued in the postseason, helping the Patriots win three Super Bowls while adding one more with the Buccaneers, all alongside Tom Brady.

Gronkowski scored 15 touchdowns in 22 playoff games, including five in five Super Bowl appearances. He had six catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns in the Super Bowl LV win over the Kansas City Chiefs two years ago.

Modern tight ends, including Travis Kelce and George Kittle, have produced impressive numbers in a pass-heavy league. However, few non-quarterbacks in NFL history have had as big of an impact on the team's success as Gronkowski.

It all points to a likely trip to Canton, Ohio for Gronkowski, and fans should prepare themselves for a memorable Hall of Fame speech.

Four-time first-team All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement from the NFL for a second time Tuesday, but his time in the league may not be over just yet.

Gronkowski's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN's Adam Schefter that his client might be persuaded to return if longtime teammate Tom Brady gives him a call.

Gronkowski and Brady played on the New England Patriots together from 2010-2018, winning three Super Bowls. The ex-Arizona star then retired for the 2019 season but came back when Brady left the Pats for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency.

The duo won another Super Bowl to cap the 2020 season and led Tampa Bay to an NFC South title in 2021.

If Gronkowski hangs it up for good, he'll retire as one of the best (if not the best) tight ends in NFL history. No one at his position has won more Super Bowls, and he sported a 17-game average of 74 catches, 1,104 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference. He never missed the playoffs in any of his 11 seasons, and he made the Super Bowl (six times) more often than he did not (five).

Gronkowski was a free agent this offseason, and without him, the Bucs have veteran Cameron Brate as well as rookies Cade Otton and Ko Kieft. Tampa Bay still has a stout receiving core with wideouts Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and now Russell Gage catching passes from Brady.

Rob Gronkowski is retiring from the NFL.

Again.

The 33-year-old, who came out of his 2019 retirement to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2020 and 2021 campaigns, announced Tuesday that he will retire:

Jordan Schultz first reported the news.

The tight end was an unrestricted free agent, but he is stepping away from the game after an incredible career that featured 621 receptions for 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns.

He told TMZ Sports in April he was "not ready to commit to the game of football right now."

He hinted at retirement in May as well when he responded to a social media prompt from Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette wondering how many fans will wear a No. 7 jersey by saying, "I'll represent a 7 jersey in the stands for ya!"

Last September, Gronkowski's brother Chris told TMZ Sports that Rob would retire when Tom Brady did. ESPN's Jeff Darlington and Adam Schefter reported in January the legendary quarterback was still "noncommittal to playing beyond this season" and wanted to discuss his plans with his family.

While Brady retired after the season, he announced less than two months later that he was returning to Tampa Bay.

Gronkowski was arguably the best tight end in NFL history even when he retired after the 2018 season. His resume includes four Super Bowl titles, four All-Pro selections, five Pro Bowl nods and a Comeback Player of the Year Award.

The University of Arizona product led the league with 17 touchdown catches in 2011 and went over 1,000 receiving yards four times while reaching double-digit touchdown catches five times during nine seasons with the Patriots.

He was unstoppable in the red zone with his size and physicality, but he was also athletic enough to shed tackles in the open field, exploit openings in zones and beat linebackers in space.

That continued when he teamed up again with Brady in Tampa Bay.

Gronkowski caught two touchdowns in the Super Bowl LV win over the Kansas City Chiefs to cap off the 2020 campaign. He remained effective in 2021 with 55 catches for 802 yards and six touchdowns even though he shared touches with Fournette, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown on offense.

While the Buccaneers didn't repeat as Super Bowl champions, they won the NFC South thanks in part to one of the NFL's best tight ends.

The next stop for Gronkowski is the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers remain optimistic Rob Gronkowski will commit to play in the 2022 NFL season, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler reported Monday on Get Up that the Bucs “are simply waiting, giving him his space” and “loosely planning for him to be in the lineup.”

Still, Gronkowski's future remains up in the air, and Fowler added that a final decision may not come until "late July."

The five-time Pro Bowler offered a cryptic comment on social media in May. He told Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette he'd be wearing Fournette's No. 7 jersey in the stands this year.

Gronkowski told USA Today's Josh Peter in April he was open to giving it at least one more season:

I've played 11 years. It's not like you wake up after a game and you're feeling amazing. It's a beating. You get hit every single play.

“So if I'm not all in to do that, then I'm not going to put myself out there in that situation. But if I'm feeling that, if I want to go knock my head around, you know, put my body on the line, if I feel like doing that again, miss that, I would certainly sign another contract.

The 33-year-old continued to be an excellent option in a slightly more limited role for the Buccaneers in 2021. He caught 55 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns. His 14.6 yards per reception and 66.8 yards per game were both his highest since 2017.

Much like how they did little to account for the possibility of Tom Brady staying retired, the Bucs haven't exactly lined up a successor to Gronkowski if he walks away for good.

O.J. Howard signed with the Buffalo Bills, and the team's outside additions at tight end arrived through the draft (fourth-rounder Cade Otton and sixth-rounder Ko Kieft).

The Bucs did at least bolster their passing game by signing Russell Gage, who's effectively a replacement for Antonio Brown.

Still, losing Gronkowski would undoubtedly be a blow for a franchise in win-now mode.

Tom Brady signed the richest contract in broadcasting history with Fox before he ever called a game, but you aren't about to catch Al Michaels pocket watching.

The broadcasting legend spoke to Peter King of NBC Sports about Brady's contract, saying the deal was simply a product of the market.

"The Brady deal, I don't know whether the number is right. I don't know whether he's a brand ambassador, whatever that's supposed to mean," Michaels said. "It can't just be for doing games. It has to be other stuff. In a way, this is just the way it's gone.

"I've always felt that the ruination of somebody especially if you're on a team and the guy at the next locker is making $500,000 more than you and you're all pissed off about that. Why? We're all doing pretty well. Enjoy it. Especially at this point of my life, I mean, great. More power to anybody who can get whatever they get. That's what the market will bear."

Michaels signed a deal with Amazon in March for what was termed "Joe Buck money" by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. Buck signed a five-year, $75 million contract with ESPN to handle Monday Night Football duties starting next season.

Michaels will be joined in the Thursday Night Football booth by Kirk Herbstreit, who will continue calling college football games for ESPN.

This offseason proved to be a massive windfall for high-profile NFL broadcasters, with several contracts expiring and nearly every network looking to reshuffle its booth.

Brady's agreement with Fox came at the tail end of that bidding bonanza, with Fox locking up the future Hall of Famer's next decade beyond his playing career. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback retired in February but decided to come back for the 2022 season a month later.

Tom Brady might be the G.O.A.T. in the eyes of most football fans, but some still believe Peyton Manning was the better quarterback.

Former NFL linebacker Bart Scott argued Manning was a tougher matchup and thinks it's a common belief among players:

"I'd much rather go against Tom Brady every day of the week than go against Peyton Manning," Scott said. "I believe that's how everybody feels."

Scott thought Brady was more a product of the system.

"Tom Brady was more about Bill Belichick, the entire team, the execution, them having a game plan," he said.

Scott had experience with both quarterbacks during his 11 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets. Manning eliminated Scott's teams in the playoffs after the 2006 and 2009 seasons, while the Jets beat both Manning and Brady on the way to the AFC title game in 2010.

The linebacker also faced the quarterbacks a combined 15 times in the regular season.

Brady obviously has the better resume with seven Super Bowl titles compared to two for Manning, but the firsthand experience offers a different perspective.

Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder has made a strong impression so far during the team's offseason program.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith had some high praise for the former Cincinnati signal-caller, noting that his mental makeup is well beyond his years.

"Behind the scenes, the things that he has done, as a rookie, really from the neck up," Smith said Wednesday. "How he's operating, when we're doing the rookie walk-throughs, when we do these installations and on the field, and his command. ... He's light-years ahead of most young quarterbacks, in terms of playing from the neck up. I will give him that compliment."

Smith further explained that Ridder is fulfilling the expectations that the Falcons had of him when they selected him in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft.

"There's a lot that goes into the scouting of a player, from the area scout to the national scout telling us how people talk about him," Smith said. "There's our experience and the ability to meet with the player and what we took away from that and on film. We were excited about him. That's why we took him."

A four-year starter for the Bearcats, Ridder enjoyed his most prolific season as a senior in 2021. He completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 3,334 yards, 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The 6'3", 207-pound Ridder will likely play behind veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota at the start of the 2022 season. Ridder said he's even surprised himself with how quickly he's developed an understanding of Atlanta's offense.

"The overall knowledge of the offense–I'm not going to lie, I thought I would come in struggle a little bit," Ridder said. "We're almost all the way through all of our installs and putting in all those checks, and I have a good grasp of it. That surprised me, honestly. I'm not saying wouldn't have picked it up, but I thought it might've taken a bit longer, a couple of extra days. I've been able to pick up on it pretty smoothly."