NFL Exec Denies Rumors Tom Brady Blocked Raiders from Trading Maxx Crosby to Patriots

New England Patriots executive Eliot Wolf dismissed the notion that Las Vegas Raiders minority stakeholder Tom Brady did anything to keep Maxx Crosby away from his old team.

On Sunday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler cited a source who said there was "no way" Brady would approve of a Crosby trade involving New England.

Wolf, who's the Pats' executive vice president of player personnel, told reporters Thursday he would "be surprised if that was true."

"I have a really good relationship with John Spytek, the Raiders general manager," he said. "We speak about a variety of things, and that's never been a thing."

The rumor about Brady certainly makes for some great palace intrigue. However, this is a situation where the simplest explanation is also the most likely one.

New England didn't want to give up what it would take to land Crosby.

The Baltimore Ravens were prepared to send two first-round picks to the Raiders for the five-time Pro Bowler until they backed out of the deal, reportedly because of concerns about his physical.

Based on reports from The MMQB's Albert Breer and The Athletic's Dianna Russini, others in the NFL thought Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was already second-guessing himself. The failed physical provided him with an exit path.

Coming out of the NFL Scouting Combine, ESPN's Mike Reiss downplayed the odds of the Patriots executing a blockbuster trade for a player at the caliber of Crosby or Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.

"It seemed clear from the combine that the only way the Patriots would be involved in those hypothetical options is if the price is lower than last year's deal for [Micah] Parsons," he wrote.

So far, that has held true. The reigning AFC champions have reserved their big moves for free agency.

If New England really coveted Crosby, then Brady almost certainly wouldn't have been a roadblock in the way of an agreement with Las Vegas.