Patriots

Which Patriots friends (and foes) should roast Tom Brady in upcoming Netflix comedy special?

Expect plenty of Brady's friends — and enemies — to roast the legendary QB during his Netflix special.

By Conor Ryan

December 19, 2023

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Tom Brady was no stranger to criticism throughout his Hall-of-Fame career on the gridiron.

Be it DeflateGate, SpyGate, his own play on the field, and countless other gripes, Brady caught plenty of flak over the years from NFL players, staffers, media, and several different fanbases.

As such, it should come as little surprise that the thick-skinned Patriots legend is welcoming the opportunity to get piled on in a televised event.

Last week, Netflix announced plans to broadcast a Tom Brady roast in May, with the streaming company bringing out a cast of Brady’s “friends and frenemies” for a new comedy special dubbed “The Greatest Roast of All Time” — or “GROAT” for short.

The Tom Brady roast will be taped in May at the annual Netflix is a Joke Fest, an 11-day comedy showcase featuring more than 300 shows across 35 venues in Los Angeles from May 2-12.

While comedian Jeff Ross is expected to take part in Brady’s extended badgering, it remains to be seen who else will be on hand to ridicule Brady.

And while there should be plenty of comedians more than happy to throw some friendly barbs at Brady (Bill Burr, anyone?), there should be no shortage of Brady’s friends and foes from his playing days who would welcome the chance to roast the future Hall of Famer.

Here’s a look at some Patriots legends (and villains) or should join in on the festivities in May.

Rob Gronkowski

I mean, this one is all but a given.

The legendary Patriots tight end is certainly no stranger to the spotlight, and it’s pretty much a guarantee that Gronkowski will be on the stage in some capacity for Brady’s roast.

Granted, Gronkowski’s known a bit more for his partying persona rather than his comedic chops, but no Patriots-centric event will be complete without Gronk taking the mic.

Just don’t be surprised if Brady responds with his own impression of the affable tight end. 

Julian Edelman & Danny Amendola 

Another set of no-brainer selections.

New England’s two tenacious slot receivers were often stapled to Brady’s hip throughout their respective tenures in Foxborough, with Edelman in particular serving as the QB’s right-hand man for close to a decade. 

Considering all of the praise that Edelman has routinely doled out toward Brady over the years, it might be interesting to see him turn heel and actually trash his longtime teammate for once.

Of course, Brady has not shirked away from making fun of Edelman when the situation arises, especially when it comes to the tenacious wideout’s 5-foot-10 frame. 

New England’s O-line

Who better to take shots against Brady than the big men up front who have saved his bacon time and time again over his 23 seasons in the NFL?

Be it Matt Light, David Andrews, Dan Koppen, Logan Mankins, Nate Solder, Sebastian Vollmer, or plenty of others, there needs to be some representation from a section of a football roster that often goes unnoticed despite their essential role on the football field.

New England’s O-line has shown some proper comedic timing in the past. Brady and some of his early Patriots teammates like Tom Ashworth (68), Light (72), Koppen (67), Russ Hochstein (71), and Brandin Gorin (76) all starred in an ad for VISA — with the quintet serving as metaphors for the five layers of the card service’s security measures.

Perhaps another five-man grouping can serve as Brady’s personal security detail during the roast?

Peyton Manning

This stands as another shoo-in pick, considering that Manning served as Brady’s greatest on-field rival throughout their respective playing careers.

Thanks to Brady and Manning, the Patriots and Colts established themselves as the juggernauts of the NFL in the 2000s — with showdowns between the two QBs standing as appointment viewing across the nation.

Manning and Brady played each other 17 times, with Brady holding the edge, 11-6. Four of their five meetings in the postseason came in the AFC Championship Game — with Manning punching his ticket to the Super Bowl in three of those bouts (2006, 2013, 2015).

Despite their battles over the years, Brady and Manning remain good friends. Brady was on hand for Manning’s enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August 2021. 

“By the time Tom Brady is inducted in his first year of eligibility in the year 2035, he’ll only have time to post his acceptance speech on his Instagram account,” Manning joked in his acceptance speech.

Eli Manning

Of course, if Peyton Manning is going to roast Brady, he’s going to have his little brother in tow to throw in a few more jabs.

Despite their longstanding rivalry, Brady held the edge of Peyton Manning in most of their head-to-head matchups.

Such wasn’t the case when Brady and Co. battled Eli Manning and the Giants, with New York besting New England in heartbreaking fashion in Super Bowl XLII and XLVI.

The primary architect of many Patriots fans’ misery (at least before this 2023 season), Eli Manning helped spoil New England’s perfect season in 2007 with the help of David Tyree and a relentless Giants pass rush.

If Eli is on hand to make fun of Brady, don’t be surprised if other Giants stalwarts like Michael Strahan also make a cameo.

Manning will earn extra props if he manages to deliver his disses against Brady with a pigskin velcroed to the side of his head.

Richard Sherman 

Along with his lockdown play against opposing receivers, Sherman was skilled in the art of trash-talk over his impressive career with the Seahawks.

Sherman put himself on the national scene as an elite corner in 2012, especially after playing a key role in a 24-23 victory over New England in Seattle. After beating Brady and Co., Sherman made sure to let the opposing signal-caller know about it on the field.

Sherman continued to jaw with the Patriots and Brady during an anticipated showdown in Super Bowl XLIX — only for Malcolm Butler and New England to get the last laugh.

Nick Foles

It’s a safe bet that there’s going to be at least one “Philly Special” joke made in May.

Eli Manning might have robbed Brady of another two Super Bowl titles in New England, but it was a backup QB in Philadelphia’s Nick Foles who prevented New England from reeling off a three-peat from 2016-18.

Brady put together one of the best games of his career in Super Bowl LII against the Eagles — throwing for 505 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. New England didn’t even punt once at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

But even with Brady’s heroics, it was Foles and Philly who came away with a title — with Foles completing a Cinderella run with four total touchdowns in a 41-33 win.

Aaron Rodgers

Other than Peyton Manning, you can make the case that Brady’s greatest QB rival throughout his career was the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger.

But if there’s ever a signal-caller who can’t help but put himself in the spotlight, it’s got to be Aaron Rodgers.

After continuing to peddle talk all season long about an improbable comeback with the Jets just months after tearing his Achilles, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rodgers to snag another microphone during Brady’s roast.

Even though Rodgers has drawn plenty of comparisons to Brady thanks to their poised play in the pocket, he and Brady only met six total times. During their lone postseason meeting in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 24, 2021, Brady and the Buccaneers beat Rodgers in Lambeau Field, 31-26.

Terrell Suggs

The Ravens’ stingy defense was a thorn in Brady’s side throughout his tenure in Foxborough.

And whenever Brady was brought down on the gridiron against Baltimore, a chirp from Suggs likely wasn’t far behind.

Suggs and Brady routinely jawed back-and-forth during games, with the Ravens linebacker rarely budging whenever he was asked to compliment New England’s QB. For one solid stretch of time, Suggs refused to even mention Brady’s name — calling him the “quarterback from New England”.

In October 2013, Suggs was asked his opinion of Brady.

“I don’t think that’s appropriate for camera,” Suggs said. “I don’t like him, he don’t like me. I don’t like his hair.”

Rex Ryan 

A vocal critic of Brady and Bill Belichick both during his coaching career and role as a football analyst, Ryan has always seemed to relish serving as the heel against the Patriots.

Eric Mangini might be the most reviled Jets head coach for Patriots fans thanks to his role in sparking “SpyGate”, but Ryan is the perfect type of showman braggart that would be ideal for a roast of Brady.

And beyond his vocal criticism of the Patriots over the years, Ryan’s defenses with both the Ravens and Jets routinely made life miserable for Brady.

Bernard Pollard

Few players managed to rattle Brady during his playing career.

But Pollard was a one-man wrecking crew whenever he managed to take on Brady and the Patriots.

It was a low hit from Pollard in New England’s 2008 season opener that caused Brady to miss the whole season with a torn ACL. Pollard was also directly involved in plays that led to serious injuries for Wes Welker (ACL, 2011), Gronkowski (ankle, 2011), and Stevan Ridley (concussion, 2013).

Along with thwarting New England’s potential playoff run in 2008, a banged-up Gronkowski in 2011 hindered the Patriots during their eventual Super Bowl loss to the Giants later that winter.

“When I played New England, it was Tom Brady, it was Gronkowski, it was Wes Welker, it was Stevan Ridley… It’s one of those things. It was tough,” Pollard said on Devin and Jason McCourty’s “Double Coverage” podcast in 2020. “The Super Bowl was lost because Gronkowski wasn’t 100 percent. A season was lost… but the playoffs [were] missed when Matt Cassel had to step in. So they’re looking at two more Super Bowls the organization could have potentially had.”

Jane Rosenberg

I know some people might be asking, “Who?”

In case you forgot, Jane Rosenberg was the New York City-based courtroom artist whose illustrations of Brady during those arduous DeflateGate hearings in 2015 went viral.

Brady’s portrait, which was superimposed on photos of everything from E.T. to Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” painting, didn’t exactly paint the Patriots QB in a flattering light.  

“I don’t tend to flatter people and make them look beautiful,” Rosenberg told The Boston Globe in 2015.

Perhaps Rosenberg can craft another (warped) masterpiece as Brady gets roasted in May. 

Roger Goodell

Will the NFL commissioner actually show up to Brady’s roast? Probably not!

But it’d make for great television if the primary executor of “DeflateGate” arrived to make Brady’s life miserable once again.

Among the many unforgettable moments that played out during New England’s improbable comeback win over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, the sight of Goodell on the same stage with Brady — just a few months after the latter’s suspension — was a sequence Patriots fans still savor.

Bill Belichick 

If you’re looking for the perfect closer for Brady’s roast, who better than his head coach for 20 years?

No, Belichick may not be a beacon of charisma, but the legendary head coach is a master of dry humor and sarcasm. And it’s fair to assume Belichick has a story or two to share about his former QB. 

And considering that Brady’s roast will be filmed at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, it might be an easy commute for Belichick — if he’s taken the reins of the Chargers in 2024.