Tom Brady spent years making Buffalo Bills fans miserable. Rob Gronkowski did plenty of damage against them, too. So when the former Patriots stars showed up on FOX’s coverage of Buffalo’s Week 3 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, former Bills safety Micah Hyde was not exactly thrilled.
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Brady was part of the FOX broadcast, while Gronkowski was sent to Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, to cover the matchup live from the sidelines. Hyde made it clear he wasn’t a fan of seeing either former Patriots star around the Bills.
“Tom Brady calling Bills games, I’m not a fan of. And Gronk on the sideline talking to Josh before, like, not a fan of that,” Hyde said on the Buffalo Plus podcast. “What are they doing calling a Bills game? I feel like Bills Mafia should not allow that to happen. Then Tom Brady’s throwing out jabs to Bills Mafia.
“Like, bro, get out of here. No one, I don’t wanna see you on TV talking, being at the Bills stadium and stuff,” Hyde said. “You know, you hate the Bills. And the Bills hate you.”
Now, both Brady and Gronkowski have plenty of history with the Bills. Brady’s connection to the Bills is difficult to separate from the Patriots’ dominance of the AFC East. He finished his regular-season career with a 33-3 record against Buffalo.
Gronkowski was another familiar problem for the Bills. The tight end faced Buffalo 16 times during his career and finished those games with 74 receptions for 1,132 yards and 12 touchdowns.
That history explains why Hyde bristled at seeing both former Patriots players around the Bills. His feelings toward New England also go beyond Brady’s record.
“I’m just not a Patriot fan. Their fans are terrible. Can’t stand them,” Hyde said. “You cannot pay me to go back in that stadium ever again. And I’m not going to. The fans throwing food at us on the sideline. Just feel entitled. So, it’s the hate.”
The rivalry became personal for Hyde during his playing career. In 2019, after a hit knocked Allen out of a game against the Patriots, Hyde criticized the officiating and referenced Brady directly.
“The first thing that came out of my mouth on the sideline, if one of us did that to 12 [Tom Brady] we wouldn’t be in the game anymore,” Hyde said at the time.
Hyde spent seven seasons with the Bills after joining the team in 2017 and became one of the central pieces of their defense alongside Jordan Poyer. With the Bills, he racked up 417 tackles and 16 interceptions during that stretch, while he earned two second-team All-Pro selections and a Pro Bowl appearance.
He retired after the 2024 season following 11 seasons on the field and remained closely tied to Buffalo.
That history makes his reaction to Brady and Gronkowski more than a passing complaint about a television broadcast.
And Brady gave Bills fans another reminder of that history during Sunday’s game. While calling Buffalo’s 24-16 comeback win over the Chargers, he joked about losing only twice at the old Highmark Stadium despite winning 33 times against the Bills.
Buffalo still walked away with the last word on the field, rallying from a 10-0 deficit to improve to 3-0. Josh Allen threw for 204 yards and ran for two touchdowns, while James Cook rushed for 154 yards and another score.