When Tom Brady announced he was leaving the Patriots after two decades in 2020, there was an audible gasp heard around New England that many hadn't anticipated. The belief was that the legendary quarterback would retire before ever leaving the only team he played for in the NFL, making it that much harder for fans to accept that he would never suit up for the Patriots ever again.
That feeling has only intensified over the years, as Bill Belichick, Brady, and Robert Kraft have shared countless stories detailing the falling out that led to him joining the Buccaneers, where he went on to win a seventh Super Bowl. It's ultimately what prompted Kraft to fire Belichick in 2024, but the blame hasn't been stripped from the team owner just yet.
Despite his best efforts to honor Brady since his official retirement, such as unveiling a statue at Gillette Stadium this month, fans remain dissatisfied with the situation's handling.
In fact, there's more frustration now that Brady has become a minority owner of the Raiders and not the Patriots, something fans feel was an easy offer Kraft could have made to really bridge the gap created from the quarterback's ugly departure over five years ago.
Patriots fans will forever wish Tom Brady had a stake in the New England team
Those thoughts initially made headlines when the announcement of Brady's stake in the Las Vegas franchise was made public. It felt like an opportunity missed by Kraft to make the greatest of all time an official part of the franchise he helped make relevant forever.
Instead, a new video of Brady being present for the Raiders' training camp this week has gone viral, bringing back those negative feelings fans have, with some targeting their anger at Kraft for not jumping at the chance to get him to New England instead.
If Kraft could have put down a “minority” amount of pride, this could have been Brady at Gillette Stadium. 😭 😭
— Michael Rodnick (@MJRodnick) August 2, 2025
Just sayin.
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This is likely to become another thorn in his side as long as he owns the team, even if some of the things he has done and said regarding Brady's tenure with the team and his disappointment in his departure resonate with fans.
Selling a small stake of the franchise to make Brady an owner felt like a no-brainer, something Kraft would usually jump at. However, it could be something that was ultimately decided by his sons, who are set to take over the team once Robert can no longer be the kind of owner he hopes to be.
It's possible they had a say in not making an offer to Brady, or maybe the quarterback never asked about the potential of owning a stake in his former team. Perhaps the idea of living and owning in Las Vegas was more appealing than in Foxboro.
No matter what the truth of the matter is, it's clear that Patriots fans won't be able to let this one go, and it's difficult to argue that their feelings are invalid. It would be fitting for Brady to remain forever attached to the team he made famous, as this would be the most fitting way to honor him, rather than retiring his jersey number and erecting a statue at the stadium in his honor.
Unfortunately, we'll never have the chance to see that come to fruition and will have to watch with sadness as we see more videos of Brady being involved with the Raiders moving forward.