Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Tom Brady to Return to Football with Several Current NFL Greats to Headline Inaugural Saudi Flag Football League

Tom Brady set to partake in flag football tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Football legend Tom Brady may have hung up his cleats from the NFL, but that is not stopping him from making a return to the game he holds so dearly. The 7-time Super Bowl Champion, who has taken to the broadcasting role, has now decided to participate in Saudi Arabia’s inaugural flag football league.

With the 2028 Olympics in Las Vegas set to hold the flag football event for the very first time in its history, the sport has been catching plenty of attention, and now legends like Brady have also entertained the thought of returning to the field in a competitive format.

Tom Brady is coming out of retirement, sort of, to join Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, Maxx Crosby, Rob Gronkowski, Sauce Gardner Myles Garrett and others for the Fanatics Flag Football Classic – a competitive flag football tournament taking place during Riyadh…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 15, 2025

Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, and Tom Brady are partnering together to promote the event, which will be hosted by comedian Kevin Hart and televised by the FOX network.

TB12, as he is often referred to, is quite excited to get back on the field despite being 48 years old. The former Patriot is upbeat about participating, as flag football has started gaining recognition following its inclusion at the upcoming Olympics.

“I couldn’t be more excited to return to the field, 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 during Riyadh Season,” Said Brady.

Saudi Arabia’s Flag Football tourney details

The inaugural flag football tournament in Saudi Arabia, known as “The Fanatics Flag Football Classic”, is set to take place next year, specifically in March 2026. The tournament will consist of three teams, and they will be coached by NFL head coaches, namely, Pete Carroll, Sean Payton, and Kyle Shanahan.

In addition to Brady, a boatload of current NFL players have already been roped in for the flag football event, including top running backs Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey of the Eagles and 49ers, respectively.

Other notable players include the Cowboys’ and Dolphins’ wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill, along with the Raiders and Browns’ pass rushers Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett, respectively, and Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner. Some former greats of the game, including wideout Odell Beckham Jr. and tight end Rob Gronkowski, are also expected to play.

Tom Brady is joining Saquon Barkley, Rob Gronkowski and others for the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Saudi Arabia on March 21, 2026, per @AdamSchefter.

It will be Brady's first football action since retiring three years ago. pic.twitter.com/Lk9Y6TiTMN
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 15, 2025

This will be quite a unique experience for the current and former NFL players who have always played the game with equipment and physical contact, elements that are completely missing from this version of football.

Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!