2020 Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski moved to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won the Super Bowl straight away. According to UFC boss Dana White, however, the duo almost ended up with another team.

Munich – The Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were apparently not the only teams interested in superstar Tom Brady in 2020.

On “GronkCast” on the sidelines of Saturday night’s UFC fights, UFC president Dana White explained that he had negotiated a deal that would have brought Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski to Las Vegas – but then then Raiders coach Jon Gruden reportedly threw a wrench in the works.

Brady and Gronk close to Raiders switch

“I was pushing for Brady and Gronk to come to the Raiders,” White explained. “The deal was almost done and at the last minute Gruden blew it and said he didn’t want [Brady].”

He continued, “There was hell to pay, it was crazy. Brady was already looking at houses and there was no talk of Gronk even coming. So Las Vegas would have gotten Brady and Gronk the year the Bucs won the Super Bowl, but Gruden blew the deal. “

Gronkowski, meanwhile, confirmed White’s comments. “That’s exactly what happened.”

The tight end himself subsequently stated that he was glad the deal with the Raiders didn’t go through. But it also makes clear that the NFL’s tampering rules were flouted by yet another team.

At the time of the talks, Gronkowski was on the New England Patriots’ “Reserve/Retired” list. No team would have been allowed to talk to him without the express permission of the Pats.