Credit: WINK News The news caught the sports world and fans by surprise, but the mother of NFL star Rob Gronkowski couldn’t be happier that her son is going to be closer to her in Estero. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots worked out a trade deal that will bring tight end Gronkowski (a.k.a. “Gronk”) out of retirement and send him to Tampa, where he’ll join former teammate Tom Brady. Diane Gronkowski Walters shared the fans’ excitement about Gronk putting on a Buccaneers jersey. For her, it means her son will be playing just up the road instead of hundreds of miles away. “I’ll be at every home game now because boy, it’s just a zip down the street,” she said. She said the three-time Super Bowl champ is ready to return to the NFL. “It’s not like he’s just walking back into playing the game. He’s been working out and working towards this for this whole year that he’s been off or ‘retired’.” Now he’ll join quarterback Brady in Tampa Bay. “I know Rob and Tom are really great friends, too. It’s gonna be great,” Walters said. While it’s not always easy to be a mother on the sidelines, she knows she’s far from the only excited to see more Gronk on the gridiron. “With all the spring sports and summer sports that aren’t really happening, we need something to look forward to and a lot of people are looking forward to football season and hopefully it starts on time,” she said. So, if Gronk suits up for the Bucs, his mom said you can expect to see her and other Southwest Florida fans at the Tampa Bay games. She said how long Gronk remains in the NFL will depend on this season. He’ll be keeping his #87 jersey as he takes the field with the Bucs. The team’s 2020 schedule is expected to released next month.