Could Antonio Brown or Rob Gronkowski return to help Tom Brady this season?
![Antonio Brown, left, celebrates with Tom Brady after they connected for a touchdown during Brown's only game with the New England Patriots.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/297cc7f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3657x2438+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff4%2F29%2F40510ff8432d86ed94d53bbea059%2Fhttps-delivery.gettyimages.com%2Fdownloads%2F1174858668.jpg)
Tom Brady gave possibly the gloomiest news conference ever by a winning quarterback Sunday, saying of the New England Patriots’ offense, “We can probably do everything better.”
The next day during a radio interview, Brady admitted he is frustrated with an offense that only managed one touchdown (on a pass by receiver Julian Edelman) during the team’s 17-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
On Tuesday, unemployed receiver Antonio Brown — who played one game with the Patriots before being cut earlier this season — took to social media to apologize to team owner Robert Kraft and the organization “for the bad media and drama.”
“All I wanted to be was an asset to the organization,” wrote Brown, who also used the word “sincerely” twice in the three-sentence Instagram post.
Brown also included a photo of himself and Brady embracing after connecting on a 20-yard touchdown pass during the Patriots’ 43-0 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 15.
Imagine that. An apology and a subtle reminder of what might have been had Brown remained with the Patriots at the same time Brady is complaining about the team’s offensive production. What could Brown’s angle possibly be?
Patriots fans surely are imagining what could happen if their team gave Brown another chance. Bad media and drama are one thing, but scoring points and keeping Brady happy are something else entirely.
One person who won’t be coming back to boost the offense — at least not this year — is retired tight end Rob Gronkowski, who confirmed as much to ESPN on Tuesday.
“I wouldn’t say ‘never coming back,’” Gronkowski said. “I’m 30 years old. I’m young. I still stay fit, still watch the game whenever I can, still enjoy it. I’m feeling good. But you know, one year off could possibly be the case. Or maybe two years off, man.”
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