On Sunday, legendary future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady was working one of his numerous new jobs as an in-game commentator for Fox Sports, on the afternoon’s game featuring a Super Bowl 59 rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles defeated the Chiefs again, 20-17, but Brady hijacked the day’s news cycle by announcing that he was going to make — another announcement.
On Monday, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Brady made that announcement and it was big one — but perhaps not as big as his many fans would hope. Brady announced that, three years after his retirement from the NFL, he will be making his comeback to football — in Saudi Arabia.
He just announced he’s joining a handful of NFL players for the Fanatics Flag Football Classic – a flag football tournament in Saudi Arabia on March 21, 2026
#Raiders coach Pete Carroll will also be coaching one of the teamsBrady will take part in, and be a producer on, the Fanatics Flag Football Classic — a flag football round-robin tournament that will include current and former NFL greats, but will be played at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
According to a Fox Sports report, “the event will feature three teams of eight players facing off in a round-robin tournament, with the top two teams advancing to the championship.”
Fox Sports and the streaming platform Tubi will air the event on television and online, according to the Fox report.
Star-Studded Roster of NFL Greats
Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Christian McCaffrey, Sauce Gardner, Myles Garrett, Brock Bowers, Maxx Crosby, Tyreek Hill and Odell Beckham Jr. are among the players who are confirmed to be participating in the event,” according to the Fox report.
For fans of the team where Brady spent the first 20 years of his career, however, the participant — other than Brady — who should garner the greatest interest is future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski who played in five Super Bowls with Brady, four with the Patriots, and the final one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Brady-Gronkowski teams won three of those five Super Bowls.
The event is backed by the Saudi-based sports promotion company Riyadh Season, headed by Saudi Arabian royal family adviser Turki Alalshikh — who also staged the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford boxing mega-fight in Las Vegas on Saturday.
“I’m looking forward to partnering with Turki Alalshikh, Fanatics, OBB Media, my team at Shadow Lion and my friends at FOX Sports to showcase some fierce competition,” Brady said on Monday, adding, “I will be bringing home the trophy.”
Given that he is a producer of the flag football event, it would perhaps not be surprising if Brady ended up “bringing home the trophy.”
Brady Cites ‘Competitive Juices’ as Reason for Comeback
Brady said that he was making is comeback to football — albeit in a limited and non-contact capacity, in other to “get the competitive juices flowing alongside some of the game’s brightest stars and iconic legends, and bring a truly unique global sports event to fans everywhere.”
Though soccer is by far the most popular sport in Saudi Arabia, the NFL hopes to use flag football to penetrate the lucrative Saudi market, according to a report by The Athletic.
“The government has been trying to diversify its economy by hosting boxing, soccer and tennis matches, as well as the world’s richest horse race, the Saudi Cup, which offers a $20 million purse,” The Athletic reported. “The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, is the main backer of LIV Golf, a rival golf tour to the P.G.A.”
Details Revealed on Tom Brady’s Stunning Announcement