"Who’s buying the PPV?": When Tom Brady challenged Lamar Jackson to 40-yard dash but with a catch
Tom Brady wasn't the most athletic player in the game during his playing days. Having debuted in an era before dual-threat quarterbacks were the norm, he was mostly a pocket passer, reading the backfield before throwing to the open man.
A 2019 game against the then-future Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in his last season with the New England Patriots provided an exception, though.
With under three and a half minutes left, and facing a fourth and six, Brady took the snap. Seeing a large gap before him, he ran past the defense for a first down (the team still lost, though, via a turnover on downs):
Just four days later, Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson made history by setting the single-season record for most quarterback rushing yards against the Cleveland Browns. Brady responded by tweeting:
"Me vs Lamar, 40 Yard Dash on natural grass but he has to wear rollerblades. Who’s buying the PPV?"
For his part, Jackson addressed it in his post-game presser:
"Tom's still got a little bit in him. I've seen him."
Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson lost to the same team in 2019 playoffs
Just as Tom Brady's 2018 AFC Championship duel with the then-fast-rising Patrick Mahomes was one of the most exciting games in recent NFL playoff history. So too would have been a 2019 Divisional Round duel with Lamar Jackson and the 14-2 Ravens - the league's undisputed GOAT facing off against quite possibly the most athletic, most explosive and most dynamic counterpart that he had ever faced.
The Patriots had finished 12-4, clinching the AFC East for the 11th straight time despite a notoriously weak receiving core that sorely missed the services of all-time dominant tight end Rob Gronkowski, who had retired before the season. However, the aforementioned loss to the Chiefs denied them a first-round bye.
That meant facing the 9-7 Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card, which the Patriots shockingly lost. The next week, Jackson and the Ravens also lost to the same team in another major upset. The Chiefs would eventually end the Titans' Cinderella run in the AFC Championship Game.
In the ensuing offseason, Tom Brady announced that he would test free agency, ending his 20-year stint in Foxboro. He would eventually join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and win a record seventh Super Bowl, while the Patriots would have their first losing record since Brady and Bill Belichick had come onboard in 2000.