tom brady is at the center of a fresh dispute over how much a minority owner can shape outcomes, after the Las Vegas Raiders sent Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots were left on the outside of a blockbuster move.
What, exactly, was Tom Brady’s reported role in keeping Maxx Crosby away from New England?
The New England Patriots missed on Maxx Crosby when the Las Vegas Raiders dealt the pass rusher to the Baltimore Ravens. In the aftermath, ’s Jeremy Fowler relayed that a source described there being “no way” Tom Brady, identified as a Raiders minority owner, would have traded Crosby to the Patriots. The same account tied the alleged resistance to the idea of sending Crosby to play for ex-teammate Mike Vrabel.
Those details place the Patriots’ setback in a different light: not only a matter of price, but potentially a matter of preference. The account does not describe a formal veto mechanism or a documented league process; it simply asserts influence. That distinction matters because it separates a verified transaction from an interpretation of intent.
Why the Ravens’ price tag made a Patriots match difficult even without the Tom Brady factor
The Raiders’ return for Crosby was significant: the No. 14 pick in the next month’s NFL Draft and a 2027 first-rounder. In the same thread of information, Fowler wrote that the Raiders “leveraged the highest bidders” to reach the highest return for Crosby.
That context is central to why the Patriots were plausibly boxed out on value alone. The Patriots’ draft position was described as No. 31 this year, and the account suggests the team may have struggled to match the Ravens’ package. In other words, even if motivations and relationships were neutral, the pricing environment set by aggressive bidders could have effectively pushed New England to the margins.
Other teams were also described as falling short. The Dallas Cowboys were willing to offer the No. 12 pick, a future second-rounder, and a veteran player. A source within that organization said the Cowboys “loved” Crosby, but they set a firm limit after moving a first- and second-round pick for defensive lineman Quinnen Williams during the 2025 season. The Chicago Bears also kept tabs on Crosby but were not considered “major players. ”
What the Patriots do next: the trade market shifts after Crosby heads to Baltimore
The Patriots now face an altered landscape. Separate discussion around the early stages of the legal tampering period described Patriots fans hoping for major moves and noted the team has been connected to players heading to free agency and those rumored to be on the trade market. That same thread framed the Crosby deal as one of the top trades New England already missed, alongside the Buffalo Bills moving high draft capital for wide receiver DJ Moore.
In the wake of those developments, the conversation turned to alternative targets, including the idea of Myles Garrett as a surprising potential trade candidate. Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report was cited for viewing Garrett as one of the most surprising potential trade candidates and listing the Patriots among the best fits. The rationale presented was straightforward: after Crosby moved to the AFC North, a different “game-changer” could represent another path.
Still, the same discussion emphasized uncertainty: it described it as “probably fair to believe” that Vrabel may not have been willing to surrender the kind of draft capital the Raiders wanted for Crosby, while adding the Patriots “might be more inclined” to pay heavily if the Cleveland Browns ever made Garrett available “for some reason. ” It also argued that even seemingly untouchable players can be traded, while simultaneously calling it “unfathomable” for the Browns to move on from Garrett and labeling such a move as foolish.
What is verifiable in the current record is limited: Crosby is now a Raven; the Patriots are not. Beyond that, the most concrete question for New England is whether the team adjusts its price tolerance for elite pass-rush help, or pivots to different roster-building mechanisms. The current discourse leaves that unresolved.
For now, the episode leaves an uncomfortable dual explanation sitting side by side: a market-driven outcome shaped by competing offers, and a personal-influence narrative tied to tom brady that, if accurate, would signal that relationship dynamics can matter as much as draft capital when the biggest deals are on the table.
