The Legend Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski might have signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as a free agent in 2020, but Jon Gruden, the team’s coach at the time, put an end to it at the last minute, according to UFC President Dana White. He made the claims, after the successful conclusion of the action-packed event of UFC 278.
That is the narrative provided by White, who is friendly with Brady but has no connection to the NFL. Brady’s former teammate Rob Gronkowski, who is now retired, persuaded White to share his story on Saturday night during the Gronkowski-led alternate broadcast of UFC 278 that was televised on ESPN and ESPN Plus.
“I worked to put that deal together for Brady and Gronk to come to the Raiders,” said White, who is not an NFL player agent. “It was almost a done deal. And at the last minute, Gruden blew the deal up and said that he didn’t want him and all hell broke loose, man. It was crazy.
Asked Dana White if he’d expound on the Tom Brady to Vegas plan he revealed earlier. A plan that eventually blew up and nobody was happy. @Raiders #RaiderNation #8NN pic.twitter.com/aShbEt8hGv
— Chris Maathuis (@sports8) August 21, 2022
Later, Dana went into further detail about the story, telling reporters Brady wasn’t pleased with it at the time, though he would not elaborate on Gruden’s gripe. Of course, a racist scandal involving earlier emails led to the company firing him.
Given that the Raiders officially moved from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020, when Brady said his final goodbye to the Patriots after nearly 20 years with the organization, it makes sense. The best quarterback and tight end to ever play the game could have led the Raiders on their trip to a brand-new city and stadium.
