A few NFL teams are heading into the upcoming draft with no clear answer to their quarterback situation, and the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants are among them. Neither team has a clear franchise quarterback.
The Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, while the Steelers brought Mason Rudolph back. While Wilson might serve as a better bridge than Rudolph, the Giants’ situation could be enough to deter some big-name quarterbacks from wanting to play there.
Rob Gronkowski Laughed in Brian Daboll’s About QBs
Former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski won four Super Bowl rings during his 11 seasons in the league. He claimed three with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots before retiring in 2018 due to health concerns.
Gronkowski came out of retirement in 2020 to join Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where they won another Super Bowl together. He ultimately retired for good after the 2021 season.
However, earlier this offseason, rumors began circulating that Gronkowski might be considering a return to the field. This sparked an immediate call from Gronkowski’s former Patriots’ tight end coach, Brian Daboll, who is now the head coach of the New York Giants. The two have remained close friends.
On the podcast “Dudes on Dudes,” which Gronkowski hosts with his former teammate Julian Edelman, he described the idea of his ever returning as absurd. He then shared the story of the call and how he scoffed at Daboll’s suggestion.
“Daboll obviously the first one to hurry up and FaceTime me,” recalled Gronkowski. “He’s like, ‘You’re going back to football?’ I’m like, ‘Daboll, you know I would tell you first if I was going back to football. You’re always first on my list. I’ve told you that for the last two years. I can’t even open up my eyes, I’ve got jet lag. How am I going to go back to football? Even if I do, how can I come to your Giants? You don’t even have a quarterback on your roster?! He’s invisible right now.’ And Daboll just started shaking his head at me and he’s like, ‘I’m gonna get one for you bud. If you’re coming out of retirement, you’re coming to me. I’m gonna get one for you!’ And I was like, ‘Nah, you have no quarterback buddy.'”
The Giants have been linked to Shedeur Sanders, the son of Deion Sanders, who is expected to be an early pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Field Yates recently suggested that the Giants should take Sanders, even if Travis Hunter is still available. The Giants won’t be able to return to the level of success they had with Eli Manning unless they find a new franchise quarterback.
As for the former five-time Pro Bowler Gronkowski, it is unclear if he can still play at the level he did when he was in the NFL. He recently suggested that he no longer has “those powers.”
Besides, Daboll and the Giants need to focus on finding their players of the future rather than reliving their glory days.