By Saad Yousuf, Daniel Popper and Jourdan Rodrigue

Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady announced Monday evening that he will be back to slinging passes on the field when he participates in a global flag football event on March 21, 2026, called “The Fanatics Flag Football Classic.” It will be a round-robin tournament featuring three teams at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Brady, a three-time first-team All-Pro quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl champion who retired after the 2022 season, will be joined by several other big names, including his former teammate with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, tight end Rob Gronkowski. The list of current players participating in the event includes wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill, running backs Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey, tight end Brock Bowers, defensive linemen Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby, as well as cornerback Sauce Gardner. The coaches slated to take part include Pete Carroll, Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan.

Brady’s inclusion gives the Raiders a presence at various levels, including ownership, coaching (Carroll), offense (Bowers) and defense (Crosby). It also could serve as a precursor to potential involvement for Brady and others when flag football makes its Olympics debut at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

“All the players that I’ve talked to are excited about playing, and obviously, with the Olympics coming up in 2028, I think it’s all the NFL players’ kind of first exposure to it,” Brady said. “I didn’t want to miss out on being a part of it.”

Asked Monday if he’d have any interest in playing in the Olympics, Brady — who will be 50 when the Olympics come to L.A. — smiled and said, “We’ll see. Let’s see how this game goes.”

Tom Brady announced today that he is playing in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, an exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia in March. Brady was asked by @JourdanRodrigue if he would want to be involved in flag football in the Olympics: “We’ll see. Let’s see how this game goes.” pic.twitter.com/7hqwq0WQP8

— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) September 15, 2025

Gronkowski, who retired after the 2021 season, didn’t rule out his own run at the Olympics even if he figures it’s unlikely.

“This is the experiment trial right here,” Gronkowski said. “Yeah, if I dominate, if I do good and I feel comfortable, then maybe I’ll take it to the Olympics. So we’ll see. This is the start, but I got to do well here first and show that I can actually compete and play and still have it, and if I do, then that’s a possibility. But I would say that’s a very slim chance.”

The event in Saudi Arabia will air on Fox Sports and Tubi and will be hosted by comedian and actor Kevin Hart.

In terms of logistics, the games will be under Olympic-style flag football rules. They will be played on a 50-yard field with two 10-yard end zones. There will be five players on the field for each team, playing two 20-minute halves.

“I have always admired the power of flag football and how it connects fans of all ages, and it’s awesome to be able to showcase the sport on such a global stage while joining together so many incredibly skilled athletes,” Brady said in a press release for the event.

(Photo of Tom Brady last fall: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)