Two league sources confirmed Ian Rapoport's initial report that Rob Gronkowski has informed the Patriots that he wants to return to play football, but he wants to do it with Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1252684831357632518
This is something we discussed two weeks ago, including the mechanics of how this would go down.
Adam Schefter has since reported that the trade has been agreed to and the compensation is a fourth-round pick for Gronkowski and a seventh-round pick.
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1252693001450782721
The lack of much compensation is not a surprise, and largely what we predicted:
I don't think the compensation — unless the Bucs just wanted to please Brady and overpaid like drunken pirates — could be more than a third-round pick. If Favre got a fourth-rounder as a QB, I don't see the Patriots getting much more for Gronk. Some conditional mid-round pick would make sense.