Tom Brady is three years removed from football, but he clearly hasn’t lost his trash-talking edge. That was on full display Wednesday night during the Fanatics Flag Football Classic draft, with Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow ending up in the line of fire.
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Brady and Burrow are set to lead two of the three teams at the tournament, which takes place this weekend at Exposition Park Stadium, LA. But before the draft and the on-field action, Burrow may have stirred the pot after being spotted at an Oscars after-party with Alix Earle, who has been loosely linked to Brady over the past few months.
With that context in mind, Brady’s Oscar-themed jab at the Bengals QB doesn’t quite feel random. In fact, it feels less random and more like a playful jab with a nod to Earle.
“That’s what they called Joe the other night at those Oscar parties… Wildcat. At least he’s here… no fashion shows to attend to,” Brady said, drawing laughs from the rest of the players at the event. Even Burrow couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head.
Who exactly was calling Burrow a “Wildcat” at those Oscar parties, Brady? And did Earle have anything to do with that? We have many questions.
Tom Brady calling out Joe Burrow at the Flag Football Draft: That’s what they called Joe the other night at those Oscar parties… Wildcat. At least he’s here… no fashion shows to attend to.”
LET THE GUYS TAUNT. pic.twitter.com/tixiHp9c54
— Lala (@thefateoflala) March 19, 2026
Or maybe the jab ties back to something simpler. Burrow’s flag football team is, after all, called Wildcats FFC. He’ll quarterback that squad alongside Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and is set to face Brady at the tournament. Brady, on the other hand, will lead Founders FFC with Jalen Hurts under center.
Notably, this isn’t the first time Brady has taken a dig at Burrow. During a recent appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s talk show, the former QB even brought up a text he sent to Burrow and Daniels a few days earlier.
“I texted Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels. They’re the opposing quarterbacks. I said, ‘You know, I love beating Heisman Trophy winners,'” Brady said, adding,
“I was the 199th pick, and I always took dead aim at the guys who were picked way ahead of me. They said, ‘Talk that you-know-what and bring it on.'”
All this trash talk might only help with the marketing of the event, where Brady will team up with his former tight end Rob Gronkowski, with whom he won four Super Bowls with the Patriots and Bucs.
Other players on Brady’s squad include RB Ashton Jeanty, RB Alvin Kamara, DB Antoine Winfield Jr., WR DeVonta Smith, WR Stefon Diggs, LB Von Miller, DB Damar Hamlin, DB Patrick Peterson, and ATH Terence Crawford.
Burrow and Daniels’ team, meanwhile, will feature RB Saquon Barkley, RB Kyle Juszczyk, WR Odell Beckham Jr., WR Davante Adams, WR DeAndre Hopkins, DB Derwin James Jr., LB Luke Kuechly, DB Jalen Ramsey, Logan Paul and IShowSpeed.
The third team will be the USA Flag Football team.
You can catch the Flag Football Classic on FOX, FOX One, and Tubi at 4 p.m. ET on March 21.
