Ex-NFL MVP Reveals Why He Was Bizarrely Traded By Patriots

Rich Gannon never played for New England, but he occupies a very unique place in Patriots history.

Gannon, of course, was on the opposing side for the infamous “Tuck Rule Game,” which played a monumental role in kickstarting the Patriots dynasty. But over a decade before that snowy evening in Foxboro, Mass., Gannon had another unusual interaction with the New England franchise.

The Delaware product actually was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 1987 draft, but he never even had a locker set up in New England. Why? Well, the Patriots planned to have Gannon transition to a new position, but he was adamant about staying at quarterback.

“I thought to myself, ‘There’s no way I’m gonna go to training camp and try to learn a different position and not make the team and be one of those guys who’s the last cut, then come back the next year and (be) the last cut,'” Gannon said this week on 98.5 The Sports Hub, as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston. “I’m like, ‘You know what, forget that.’

“So, I talked to my agent and said, ‘I’m not gonna go (to New England).’ Six days later, they traded me to the Minnesota Vikings.”

Gannon went on to stick around in the NFL for 17 years as a signal-caller and showcased one of the more impressive late-career resurgences in league history. He played his final six campaigns with the Raiders and collected four Pro Bowl selections and two First-Team All-Pro nods over that span. Gannon also led the NFL in passing yards and won the league MVP Award in 2002.

The longtime QB had a decent chance of adding a Super Bowl title to that list of accolades in the 2001 season, but an upstart first-year signal-caller named Tom Brady got in his way.