New England Patriots
“I’d be surprised if that was true,” Wolf said.
Tom Brady was on the call as the Seahawks earned a spot in Super Bowl LX against the Patriots. AP Photo/Kyusung Gong
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‘I am a Raider’: Maxx Crosby breaks silence after Ravens trade falls through
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Kraft Group, Foxborough announce World Cup funding deal for Gillette Stadium security
Tom Brady is a minority owner of the team that currently has Maxx Crosby under contract, and there are rumblings that the former Patriots quarterback may have played a role in keeping 28-year-old defensive end away from New England.
In a recent report on NFL free-agency buzz, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler quoted an unnamed source involved in the Raiders’ decision to trade Crosby to the Ravens as saying: “No way Tom [Brady] was sending Maxx to [Mike] Vrabel.”
On Thursday, Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf addressed the reported comment while talking to reporters.
“I’d be surprised if that was true,” Wolf said. “I have a really good relationship with John Spytek, the Raiders general manager. We speak about a variety of things, and that’s never been a thing.”
The Raiders’ trade with the Ravens fell apart after Baltimore backed out of the deal. There was reportedly some concern over Crosby’s medical status.
The Patriots, who struggled to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks last season, have been mentioned throughout this offseason as a potential fit for the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end. With Milton Williams and Christian Barmore in place, New England’s run-stuffing defensive front could be taken to another level with an elite pass-rusher like Crosby.
The ESPN report did not mention why Brady might be interested in keeping Crosby away from the Patriots. It was mentioned in passing as an “interesting point about the Patriots’ chances.”
The teams compete in separate divisions, with the Raiders in the AFC West while the Patriots are in the AFC East. The Patriots are coming off of a Super Bowl berth, while Las Vegas holds the No. 1 overall pick following a 3-14 season that led them to fire coach Pete Carroll.
The Patriots unveiled a statue of Brady outside of Gillette Stadium last summer. They expedited the process for him to get into the Patriots Hall-of-Fame in 2024. He addressed crowd in Foxborough, saying that the Patriots had the best fans on earth and that he considers himself a Patriot for life.
Back in February, though, Brady said he did not have ‘a dog in the fight” while referencing this rooting interest in Super Bowl LX which featured the Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. It was a rematch of Super Bowl XLIX, which Brady was named MVP of.
Brady later said in a social media post that he wanted Robert Kraft to get a seventh ring to match his. Brady’s seven Super Bowl championships are more than any franchise has.
On Wednesday, Crosby broke his silence about the failed trade, saying that everything happens for a reason. He has spent his entire career with the Raiders and is still with them after the fall out from the trade.
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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