Tom Brady took swipe at New England Patriots during blockbuster Maxx Crosby trade talks: ‘No way’

Mar 8, 2026 - 16:30

Maxx Crosby has been granted his wish by the Las Vegas Raiders.

One of the NFL‘s top defensive players will have a new challenge in 2026, and will chase Super Bowl glory with the Baltimore Ravens.

Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders stands on the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns at Allegiant Stadium on November 23, 2025 — Crosby had plenty of suitors, but Brady made sure he would not land with one team

He had been frustrated in Sin City for some time, having suffered four-straight losing seasons, and was not short of suitors.

In reality, the Raiders had little chance of holding on to Crosby.

But once it became clear he was leaving, minority owner Tom Bardy was apparently determined to keep him from landing with one particular team.

Tom Brady’s Patriots swipe revealed in Maxx Crosby fallout

In the end, it was the Ravens that coughed up two first-round picks for Crosby.

He will link up with franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson in a quest to lift the Lombardi Trophy — but other teams had shown interest.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Sunday (March 8) that the Dallas Cowboys were ‘disappointed’ to bow out of the sweepstakes, while the Chicago Bears closely monitored the situation.

One team that never had a chance of landing Crosby, though, was the New England Patriots.

Ahead of Super Bowl LX — where the Pats were beaten by the Seattle Seahawks — The Athletic’s Dianna Russini hinted that Crosby had expressed interest in playing for Mike Vrabel.

However, in the aftermath of his blockbuster trade to the Ravens, sources told Fowler that Brady took that option off the table completely.

“One person involved in the trade made an interesting point about the Patriots’ chances at Crosby: ‘No way Tom (Brady) was sending Maxx to (Mike) Vrabel,'” he wrote for ESPN.

Fox Sports commentator and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady reacts as he walks on to the field prior to an NFC Championship NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field — Brady apparently took a Patriots trade for Crosby off the table

Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots stands on the field prior to an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on January 18, 2026 — There was ‘no way’ he would send the star pass rusher to Vrabel

Brady’s relationship with New England has become complicated in recent years.

Regarded as the greatest quarterback of all-time, he led the franchise to Super Bowl glory on six separate occasions as he spearheaded a dominating dynasty for close to 20 years.

Three of those Super Bowl triumphs even came alongside Vrabel.

However, his split from New England was said to be unceremonious, and while he has a statue outside Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, he has been distant from the team since retirement.

Were the Patriots stiffed by Tom Brady over blockbuster trade?

Brady caused uproar ahead of Super Bowl LX by suggesting he didn’t have a ‘dog in the fight,’ and while he later back-tracked on those comments, he was widely criticised by former and current Pats players.

His reluctance to send Crosby to New England will be seen by plenty as another swipe at his former team.

Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots takes the field prior to Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 — Brady would not want to strengthen any AFC rival, regardless of his ties with the Pats

But as minority owner of the Raiders, Brady is fully focused on success in Sin City, so it stands to reason that he wouldn’t want to hand a cornerstone of his franchise to any AFC rival — regardless of personal history.

As it turns out, the Ravens were happy to pay a high price, and attention for Las Vegas must now turn to making the most of those first-round draft picks they got in return.

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