Gronk excited for 'epic' road matchup vs. Patriots in 2021

One of the marquee games on the 2021 schedule sees the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the New England Patriots. And though it's billed as Tom Brady's return to Foxborough, it will also be a homecoming for his teammate, Rob Gronkowski.

Brady hasn't publicly discussed returning to Gillette Stadium as a visitor for the first time in his career, but Gronkowski recently shared his thoughts on the highly anticipated matchup.

"That's going to be crazy. It's going to be pretty epic. It's definitely going to be emotional for sure, I would say," the 32-year-old tight end said.

"I just had a great nine years (there). Probably the best nine years of my life. It was the beginning of basically my whole football career there. It's definitely going to be heartfelt when I go back."

Gronkowski had a Hall of Fame-worthy run with New England, winning three Super Bowls, earning four first-team All-Pro nods, and setting a franchise record with 79 touchdowns. His 7,861 receiving yards were also the most by a Patriots tight end.

He suffered a wide array of injuries during that nine-year stint and retired after winning the Super Bowl in 2018. But he decided to return to the NFL to reunite with Brady, joining the Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 season. He went on to catch two touchdown passes in Tampa's Super Bowl LV victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Gronkowski, Brady, and the Buccaneers visit the Patriots in Week 4 of the 2021 NFL season.

Copyright (C) 2021 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.