Tom Brady Rob Gronkowski Feb 7, 2021; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) and tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) celebrate after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Tom Brady will be missing an important piece of their offense this season as legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski opted to retire following the 2021-22 season. The Bucs will now try to replace Gronk in their offense, but Brady knows that will be tough to do.

In an interview with the Let’s Go! podcast, Brady got honest about missing the tight end who he’s played with for 11 of the past 12 NFL seasons, calling Gronkowski “one of the all-time greats.”

“You’re missing someone that was one of the all-time greats, which is, you know, you can’t replace that,” Brady said, according to Pro Football Talk. “And we all love him, but we miss him and he just decides not to play. So he’s retired, so we’ve had to, you know, move on to try to, you know, solve some things without him. And, you know, we’ve done a good job. Cam Brate‘s taken on a big role. Kyle Rudolph, we’ve got. We drafted a few young players. So that position, although it’s different without Gronk, you know, we’re gonna have to go out there and earn it, and earn the respect of everyone by our work, and by our performance. So I’m excited to see what we can do.

Brady knows that the Bucs won’t be able to replace Gronkowski perfectly, but he hopes the team will still be able to meet expectations.

“I’m never one to make a bunch of predictions, other than, you know, we’re gonna work hard to get it right,” Brady said. “And it’s not gonna be perfect all the time. It’s got to be perfect enough to win.”

[Let’s Go!, Pro Football Talk]