Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski and quarterback Tom Brady. (Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports)
Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady went out of his way to make sure Rob Gronkowski hit his production marks for a $1 million bonus.
The final weekend of regular-season games in the NFL had players all over the league trying to trigger performance bonuses.
The need for production in the last weeks of play even seemed to be part of the narrative around the split between Antonio Brown and the Buccaneers.
On Sunday, Tom Brady insisted on staying in the game against the Panthers until longtime teammate Rob Gronkowski hit his targets to trigger $1 million in bonuses.
Would Tom Brady do the same for Antonio Brown as Rob Gronkowski?
People in the comments asked why Brady wouldn’t do the same for Brown when he reportedly felt the Bucs wanted to avoid paying his bonuses, but that suggestion doesn’t fit reality.
Brady literally focused in on Brown at the end of last season to make sure he got his bonus of $250,000.
If Brown hadn’t left the Buccaneers ahead of schedule, it’s safe to say Brady would have done what he could to make sure he got his bonuses as well.
For Gronkowski, the key was getting to his yardage and receptions incentives for the season. Each category would grant him an extra $500,000 for the season. He ended up with seven catches for 137 yards to get both done.
Gronk finished the regular season with 55 catches for 802 yards and six touchdowns.
Once the tight end’s needs were met, Brady took a seat and let Blaine Gabbert finish out the game.