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Like just another pair of football fans hanging out, Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Johnson discussed Tom Brady‘s future on Monday night. Except Gronkowski has more insight into Brady than most.

“Gronkowski and I were talking about it last night,” Johnson said Tuesday during the Fox Sports news conference. “He thinks he’s going to explore his options. I personally think he’ll stay right there in New England. I don’t know, though.”

Gronkowski spent nine years with Brady before the tight end retired after the 2018 season. Brady doesn’t appear ready to retire, but free agency looms in March.

Thus, Brady could end up finishing his career elsewhere.

“I really haven’t talked to Tom like that. I did talk to him after the game. Just talked,” Gronkowski said. “Wasn’t even all about football. Some of it was just about life. But you know, I truly believe he deserves the opportunity to go explore and see what’s out there. He’s been playing for so long, and just the way he’s been playing and the level he’s been playing at, he definitely deserves an opportunity to go out there and test the market. I mean, why wouldn’t you? You’ve never done it before in your career, and he’s going to be a free agent for the first time ever. So good for him. Go test out the market and then do what’s best for himself. That’s the decision he has to make is what’s best for himself; what’s best for his family; what he feels like he’s going to love. That’s all up to Tom. He’s a grown man, and he’ll be able to make that decision on his own.”

Joe Montana, who spent his final two years in Kansas City after a Hall of Fame career in San Francisco, publicly advised Brady to finish his career in New England.

After 20 years with the Patriots, Brady would look strange in another team’s uniform.

“You know it’s always strange no matter who the player is,” Gronkowski said. “If you see a player playing on a team for 10 years and go to another team, it’s always strange at first. But you know everyone gets used to after a little bit. It would definitely be strange, I would say, if that happens. For a couple of weeks, it may be strange. But everyone adapts like any other time it happens.