Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Do NFL practice squad players actually want to get called up and make the 53-man roster to play in games? Tom Brady sure doesn’t think so, and Brady drew the ire of practice squad players across the league by saying so.
In a recent sitdown interview with former UFC champion Daniel Cormer, Brady said that over the course of his career, he determined that scout team players failed to make it when they were called into action, mostly because they didn’t actually want to play in games.
The way Brady sees it, those players didn’t want to deal with the pressure that came with actually playing in games, so they tanked their stock to avoid having to do so.
Tom Brady reveals the overlooked reason practice squad players never succeed in the NFL
It’s not a lack of talent.
Brady watched it happen for 20 years. The pattern was undeniable.
As soon as a practice squad player got promoted and had to perform under real pressure, they… pic.twitter.com/zYWB769l2C
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) May 29, 2026
Tom Brady Says NFL Practice Squad Players Don’t Want To Play In Games
“These scout team receivers would come in and practice with the scout team, and they do really well. And I’d be watching. I’m like, ‘Man, we got to get that guy. Let’s get him up on offense. He’s making a lot of plays,’” Brady told Cormier. “Then all of a sudden, we’re like, “Hey man, you’re doing really well. You got to come over here and deal with the pressure of succeeding now that you have expectation.””
According to Brady, players quickly learned that they could simply coast on the practice squad and still make decent money.
“And then what I realized was a lot of guys on those practice squads, they don’t want to be elevated to the roster,” he said. “They’re very happy living this life where they could tell their family and friends, which I have no problem with that. But the reality is a lot of guys don’t want the pressure of dealing with the top.”
Former Practice Squad Players Clapped Back!
Over the course of a season, an NFL practice squad player makes $234,000. Meanwhile, the league minimum for a full season on the active roster is $840,000. By Brady’s argument, the difference is salary isn’t worth the difference in pressure and expectation for practice squad players.
But many of them quickly called him.
“Haven’t met one person who is okay with just being on the PSquad,” Denver Broncos wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey posted on X.
Humphrey has played in 68 games over the course of seven NFL seasons with various teams.
“I’m telling you right now, I would’ve enjoyed an extra $600K the 3 years I was on p squad to feel a little ‘pressure’ of being on active roster,” Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci wrote. “‘Pressure avoidance,’ You can’t be serious with this. Prefer it?!? I’ve never met a p squad player in my 6-year career that wasn’t trying every week to get elevated.”
DiNucci also spent time with the Broncos, Bills, Saints, and Falcons.
But Brady isn’t completely alone in his viewpoint.
“There was a guy on our practice squad nobody could cover,” former Vikings and Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah said. “1on1s, 7on7, team periods, dude was always open. Had the whole secondary getting cussed out. He got called up to the active roster, and he lost his super powers…”
So perhaps there is something to it. What do you think? Do some practice squad players intentionally tank their stock? Let us know in the comments below.