Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are one of the most successful quarterback-tight end duos in NFL history — here's a timeline of their friendship
During the 10 seasons Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have played on the same team — nine with the New England Patriots, one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — they've developed a special chemistry on the field, winning four Super Bowls and connecting on dozens of touchdown passes.
They've also developed a long-lasting friendship off the field, from appearing in commercials together to hitting the Kentucky Derby.
Here's a timeline of Brady and Gronk's friendship.
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2010: Rob Gronkowski is drafted by the New England Patriots, officially starting his legendary career and friendship with Tom Brady.
The New England Patriots drafted Gronk 42nd overall in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. By that time, Brady was already a decade into his career as a Patriot. During Gronk's rookie season, Brady targeted the tight end 59 times and he scored 10 touchdowns.
2012: Brady and Gronk quickly develop a habit of hugging it out after touchdowns.
NFL players have come up with some pretty creative touchdown celebrations and while Gronk loves to spike the ball, there's nothing as heartwarming as a celebratory hug.
2014: Gronk says he and Brady spent time "studying football together [and] getting together in the offseason" so they could work better as a partnership.
In 2018, Gronkowski spoke to 247 Sports about his friendship with Brady.
"I would say basically the friendships are developed over football too," Gronkowski told the outlet. "Over studying football together, getting together in the offseason, extra stuff during the season and you just want to build that up so you can be on the same page and be the best chemistry possible that you can be."
Brady hasn't been shy about his admiration for Gronk either. In February 2021, he told PFT why he enjoys being around the tight end so much.
"He's one of the most unique people. Just being around him, he's so positive," Brady told PFT. "I think everybody wishes in their next life they come back as Rob just because he's got such a great personality about him, just his way of being positive. He's a really high achiever."
February 2015: Brady and Gronk win their first Super Bowl together. "It's just an honor to play with him," Gronk says of Brady.
During the game, Gronkowski hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Brady. It was the first of four Super Bowl championships the duo would win together — three of which were as Patriots.
Ahead of the matchup, Gronkowski told reporters about the impact Brady has on the Pats' locker room.
"It's just an honor to play with him," Gronk told reporters. "He's going to his sixth Super Bowl, that just speaks of the respect everyone has of Tom, it just speaks of the level of play he has ... Tom's the leader, comes in, always humble, always working hard, and it just takes off on other players."
May 2015: Brady and Gronk head to the racetrack for the Kentucky Derby.
Ahead of the Buc's Super Bowl matchup against the Chiefs, Gronk told ESPN's Jenna Laine in December 2020 that his favorite memory of Brady off the field was watching the health-conscious QB drinking at the Kentucky Derby.
"Seeing him take a shot," Gronk told ESPN's Laine. "Just seeing his face after, like in disgust, like, 'I'm putting this alcohol in my body.'"
February 2017: Gronk and Brady celebrate their Super Bowl LI victory together in downtown Boston.
Brady was all smiles as Gronk hyped up the crowd.
April 2017: Brady chases and tackles Gronk at the Boston Red Sox's home opener for stealing his jersey.
A couple of months after winning Super Bowl LI in February 2017, Brady took the mound at Fenway Park in Boston to throw out the first pitch on opening day. While he showed off his jersey to the crowd, Gronk ran up from behind and snatched it.
Brady chased Gronk around the field before the tight end fell to the ground laughing. The two pro ballers looked more like kids chasing each other during a game of tag than Super Bowl champs.
February 2019: Brady and Gronk win their third Super Bowl together.
The New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 to win the game.
April 2020: After Brady signs with the Bucs, rumors spread that he wants the team to sign Gronk as well. Pretty soon, Gronk is out of retirement and back with his QB.
When the Patriots agreed to trade Gronk to the Detroit Lions in 2018, the tight end made it clear he'd rather retire than play for another QB besides Brady. So he did.
But then Brady traded New England for Tampa Bay and it seemed like only a matter of time before Gronk retired from retirement. In fact, Brady strongly encouraged his new team to sign Gronk, who expressed interest in playing with Brady again, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Rumor finally became reality on April 22, 2020, when Brady posted a video to his Instagram showing him blowing a conch shell and Gronk appearing out of the woods. He captioned it, "Time to run it back Gronky!"
September 2020: "Tommy and Gronky" put their friendship to the test and answer questions about each other.
As part of a YouTube series from the Buccaneers organization starring the longtime friends, Brady and Gronk took a friendship test together. The two did pretty well, only getting a couple of questions incorrect.
"You just know me so well, it's like you come to work with me every day," Gronk said after Brady answered a question correctly.
"It's like I see you and I've known you for 10 years!" Brady responded.
After both answering the final question right, Brady asked, "Does that prove our kinship or what? What could be better than that?"
December 2020: Brady nails an impersonation of his buddy Gronk.
During the same December press conference, ESPN's Jenna Laine also asked Brady about his favorite off-field memory of Gronk.
Brady, complete with a spot-on impersonation of Gronk, shared the story of when the tight end asked to squeeze in a workout with Brady so he could look shredded for a GQ photo shoot.
"He was like, 'Dude, that was great. That was perfect. That was just what I needed. I feel ripped now,'" Brady said impersonating the tight end. "And he was ready for his photo shoot because of one day of the two of us working out together."
January 2021: Who else to celebrate Brady's 10th trip to the Super Bowl than Gronk?
After defeating the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, Brady posted a video to Instagram of him and Gronk victoriously walking to the Bucs' plane. Set to the tune of Diddy's "Bad Boy for Life," it was clear the two felt pretty good about their performance that night.
It was a recreation of a clip Brady and Gronk had filmed two years earlier — this time after the Patriots beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 AFC Championship.
February 2021: Brady and Gronk win another Super Bowl together, this time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
During their 10th and 5th trips to the Super Bowl, respectively, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski managed to take home another ring.
Gronk caught two touchdown passes from Brady during the game.
February 2021: Gronk and Brady party social distance-style to celebrate the Bucs' Super Bowl victory.
Brady and Gronk each partied from their own boats during the Buccaneers' Super Bowl boat parade on February 10. In fact, Brady was seen looking pretty unsteady on his feet — something he later blamed on a "little avocado tequila." He even tossed the Vince Lombardi Trophy over open water to Gronk's boat (someone caught it, don't worry).
You'd think after more than a decade of knowing each other Gronk would have some crazy stories about partying with Brady. But, as the tight end told James Corden in February, he never gave Brady the real "Gronk treatment," and instead choose to celebrate by scoring lots of touchdowns.
"We never really hit it like that, gone out like that," Gronk told Corden. "We got a pretty significant age difference too if you really think about it. When I got into the NFL, I was 20 years old, he was 32 years old and married. So if you really think about it, he wasn't really going to be hanging out with a 20-year-old that he barely knew and going out on the streets with me and my friends when he's married, 32 years old with a kid."
February 2021: The buddies star in a hilarious T-Mobile commercial together.
Following their Super Bowl win, Gronk and Brady appeared in their first commercial together.
The premise is this: It's 2020 and Brady calls Gronk to get his thoughts on retirement. Because of spotty coverage, instead of hearing his buddy's actual advice, he gets bits and pieces that form the sentence: "If you retire now, you're soft and weak. Just come to Florida and win another one. Maybe I'll even join you."
So, Brady holds a press conference and announces he's signing with the Bucs and bringing Gronk with him to win another Super Bowl.
Their bloopers are just as funny as you'd think.