Fansided

Dana White made a huge Tom Brady, Raiders claim and the fans are freaking out

ByScott Rogust|
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Tom Brady #12 and Rob Gronkowski #87 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the field during the first quarter in the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 26, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Tom Brady #12 and Rob Gronkowski #87 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the field during the first quarter in the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 26, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

During a UFC 278 watch along, Dana White claimed that former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden nixed a deal to bring in Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in 2020.

Las Vegas Raiders fans are feeling good heading into the 2022 season. They are coming off of a playoff berth, and acquired star wide receiver Davante Adams to pair alongside former Fresno State teammate Derek Carr. Fans were feeling great. Well, until a claim made by UFC president Dana White.

Rob Gronkowski hosted a watch-along event with his family on ESPN for the UFC 278 pay-per-view, and brought on White for the broadcast. As the two were talking, White went on to claim that he worked on a deal to help bring Gronkowski and Tom Brady to the Raiders in 2020. He even went onto claim that it was “almost a done deal,” and that Brady was looking for houses. But, White said that the team’s then-head coach, Jon Gruden, blew up the deal.

You can listen to White’s comments in the tweet below, courtesy of PFF’s Ari Meirov.

Dana White claims that Jon Gruden nixed deal to bring Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski to Raiders

Gronkowski said, “that is exactly what happened” after White told his story.

This video circulated all across Twitter feeds late Saturday night, and there were plenty of reactions to the claim made by the UFC president.

White was one of the more vocal voices in trying to bring Brady to the Raiders back in 2020, when he decided to leave the New England Patriots to test free agency. Obviously, that did not happen, as he went on to sign a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Shortly thereafter, Tampa Bay acquired Gronkowski, who came out of retirement at the time, in a trade with the Patriots.

In their very first season together, Brady and Gronkowski helped the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9. The following year, Tampa Bay made it to the Divisional Round, but were eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. Brady announced his retirement, but returned to the team around one month later. Gronkowski, on the other hand, is retired once again.

The Raiders finished the 2020 season with an 8-8 record, missing out on a playoff berth. Gruden resigned as the head coach of the Raiders early on in the 2021 season after emails featuring racist, misogynistic, and anti-gay language surfaced in reports. Las Vegas made the playoffs last season under interim head coach Rich Bisaccia.

White claims that two of the most prolific players in recent NFL history almost joined the Raiders. Meanwhile, Raiders fans are patiently waiting for the 2022 season to begin to see if Carr, Adams, and new head coach Josh McDaniels can improve upon their previous campaign.

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