Gronkowski says Bradshaw's 'What about McBride?' flub was on purpose
The short version
- Gronkowski called Trey McBride the NFL's best tight end on FOX NFL Sunday
- Terry Bradshaw then asked 'What about McBride?' moments after McBride had been discussed
- Bradshaw claimed the question was a deliberate setup; Gronkowski told Front Office Sports he believes Bradshaw 'got us all'
- McBride posted 126 catches, 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2025
- In Week 2 of 2026, McBride had eight receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown vs. Seattle
The former Patriots tight end brushed off his FOX colleague's viral on-air mix-up, telling Front Office Sports he believes the Hall of Famer was playing a prank.
A widely shared blooper from the FOX NFL Sunday set is getting a charitable explanation from one of the people who was in the room. Rob Gronkowski, the longtime New England Patriots tight end who won four Super Bowls, said he does not believe fellow analyst Terry Bradshaw simply lost the thread during the broadcast.
The sequence unfolded on a recent installment of the network's pregame program. Gronkowski offered high praise for Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, calling him the top player at the position in the league today. Moments later, Bradshaw interjected by asking what the panel thought about McBride — the very player who had just been discussed.
The studio erupted in laughter at the mix-up. Host Curt Menefee pointed out to Bradshaw that Gronkowski had been talking about McBride only seconds earlier, and analyst Michael Strahan was visibly amused as well. Bradshaw responded by claiming the question was intentional — a planned bit designed to catch his co-hosts off guard.
Asked about the incident in a conversation with Front Office Sports, Gronkowski sided with that version of events. "I think Terry Bradshaw got us all," he said, adding that the former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback "wanted to throw us off."
Gronkowski's assessment of McBride carries weight given his own resume. He earned four First-Team All-Pro selections across his career and is widely viewed as a future Hall of Famer, giving him unusual credibility when ranking tight ends.
McBride, a former Colorado State standout, has developed into one of Arizona's most important offensive weapons. His 2025 season was a career-best campaign: 126 catches for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns.
That production has carried into the new season. In a Week 2 meeting with the Seattle Seahawks, McBride hauled in eight receptions for 41 yards and found the end zone once, keeping him heavily involved in the Cardinals' attack.
Whether Bradshaw's on-air question was a planned gag or a genuine lapse, the underlying claim about McBride's standing is backed by his numbers. Fans can judge for themselves soon: the Cardinals visit the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, September 27, with kickoff at 4:05 PM EDT at Levi's Stadium on FOX.
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