This past weekend, UFC president Dana White revealed that he nearly brokered a deal that would’ve landed Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in Las Vegas back in March 2020.
Ultimately though, White said then-Raiders head coach Jon Gruden “blew the deal up.”
So why would Gruden not want one of the greatest football players of all time on his roster?
According to NBC Sports analyst/former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, Gruden was afraid of the pressure to succeed with Brady under center.
“Oh, he didn’t want to deal with the pressure of Tom Brady,” Simms said on ProFootballTalk. “He wasn’t going to have excuses to get out of that one, in case things didn’t work. He couldn’t blame Tom Brady if the offense didn’t work. He would lose control a little bit too because Brady was going to be able to talk to (Raiders owner) Mark Davis. ‘I want this.’ That’s where I find it fascinating.”
Simms played under Gruden with the Buccaneers from 2004-06.
“Even when I was in Tampa and there was the Brett Favre flirting and he ultimately went to the Jets, I always wondered if Gruden really wanted Brett Favre, either? I really did,” Simms added. “The Glazer family wants him but does Gruden really want him?”
Another popular theory about Gruden’s refusal to accept Brady is the head coach’s loyalty to current Las Vegas QB Derek Carr. This theory fits well with the infamous line from Brady’s appearance on The Shop in 2021 — which is now widely believed to be in reference to Carr.
‘You’re sticking with that motherf—–?'” Brady asked.
Brady of course went on to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning a Super Bowl in his first season with the organization.