Sorry, Tom Brady ... reinforcements are NOT on the way -- Rob Gronkowski's unretirement deadline has passed -- officially closing the door on a possible return for the TE this season.
Gronk has been rumored to be considering a comeback almost since the day he made his surprising retirement announcement last spring ... with the future Hall of Famer even joking about coming back to the Patriots around playoff time this year.
But the NFL deadline for a possible return was Saturday ... and with Gronk choosing to remain retired -- he is now DONE for the 2019 season.