The NFL never ceases to amaze us, even in the offseason.
With the NFL draft just days away, tight end Rob Gronkowski decided to make it a little more enjoyable by coming out of retirement. But Gronkowski won't rejoin the New England Patriots, the team he played for when he retired in 2019.
No, Gronk came out of retirement to be traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team that recently signed the only quarterback Gronk has ever played with in the NFL: Tom Brady.
It is a shocking return to the league after a shocking retirement just more than a year ago, so let's look back at some of the other star athletes who decided to give it another go:
Marshawn Lynch
The running back known as "Beast Mode" has made two triumphant returns to the NFL after two retirement stints.
Lynch began his career with the Buffalo Bills, but is better known for his time with the Seattle Seahawks, the team he was traded to during the 2010 season. Lynch won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks and retired at the end of the 2015-16 season.
In April 2017, Lynch returned to the NFL so he could immediately be traded to the Oakland Raiders, and he played for his hometown team for two seasons. He then retired again. But in December 2019, Lynch rejoined the Seahawks for the postseason. He's currently a free agent.
Jason Witten
The tight end spent one year as an analyst on Monday Night Football before returning to the football field. Witten was drafted in 2003 by the Dallas Cowboys, for whom he was a star for 15 seasons. In April 2018, he retired and joined the MNF cast.
In February 2019, Witten came out of retirement and rejoined the Cowboys. He currently is signed to a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Brett Favre
Favre played 16 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, winning three MVP awards and leading his team to win Super Bowl XXXI in 1997. In March 2008, Favre retired. Then he quickly reversed course and was traded to the New York Jets. He played for the Jets for one season before joining the Minnesota Vikings for the 2009-10 season.
The Hall of Fame quarterback retired for real in 2010.
Michael Jordan
The greatest basketball player of all time had just won three consecutive NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls. What did Jordan do before the start of the 1993-94 NBA season? He retired to play minor league baseball.
But the stint in baseball didn't last long. Jordan came back to the NBA for the 1995-96 season and helped the Bulls win three consecutive NBA titles, from 1996 to 1998. He retired yet again in 1998 before coming back to play with the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003. Jordan retired for a third and final time in April 2003.
Michael Phelps
The most decorated Olympic athlete of all time spent some time in retirement before his career was really finished.
In 2012, after winning 22 total Olympic medals beginning at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Phelps retired. But he wasn't done. In 2016, Phelps came back, swam in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and won six more Olympic medals. He finally retired for good in August 2016, with serious bragging rights: 23 gold, three silver and two bronze Olympic medals.
Magic Johnson
After spending 13 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, the star basketball player was forced to retire in 1991 after revealing that he had tested positive for HIV. But five years later, Johnson returned to the Lakers and played for one more season in 1996.
The Hall of Fame player helped the Lakers win NBA titles in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. After his career, Johnson spent some time in the Lakers front office but is currently not part of the organization.
Roger Clemens
Clemens was 41 years old when he retired from baseball in 2003, having been in MLB since 1984. At that point, he had won the 1999 and 2000 World Series with the New York Yankees, as well as six Cy Young Awards in his time with the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Yankees.
Baseball still called his name, though. In January 2004, Clemens signed with the Houston Astros -- and won yet another Cy Young Award. He retired again after the 2006 season, but the "Rocket" made another comeback to pitch one more season for the Yankees. He never formally retired, but 2007 was the last time Clemens pitched in MLB.
George Foreman
Foreman became a household name when he won a gold medal in the 1968 Summer Olympics at the age of 19. After turning professional, he knocked out Joe Frazier in 1973 and became a world heavyweight champion.
After a handful of other wins and then a big loss in 1977, the 28-year-old suddenly retired from boxing. Foreman came back 10 years later in 1987, and in 1994, he shocked the world when he knocked out Michael Moorer. In doing so, Foreman became the oldest world heavyweight boxing champion. He eventually retired in 1997 and moved into the world of business.
Mario Lemieux
One of the greatest hockey players of all time, Lemieux retired twice. The Canadian spent his entire career playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The defenseman, who helped the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992, retired in 1997 at the age of 31 due to various health issues, including lymphoma. In December 2000, Lemieux returned to the Penguins and played for four more seasons.
In January 2006, he retired after being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation at the age of 40. Lemieux currently is the chairman and co-owner of the Penguins.
Dara Torres
The 12-time Olympic medalist had an unreal swimming career that spanned five summer Olympic games and 24 years.
After competing in and winning medals in the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympic games, Torres took seven years off from competitive swimming before making a comeback in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. There, Torres won five medals at the age of 33.
Again, Torres took time off -- this time to start a family. She returned to competitive swimming in 2007 at the age of 40. She won three silver medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Torres tried out for the 2012 Olympics in London but was unable to make the U.S. Olympic team and then retired for good.