For the Greeks, it was the Macedonians.
For the Romans, it was the Germanic tribes.
And for the Patriots ... it was a former Patriot?
Empires rise and empires fall, as was the case with the New England Patriots in the NFL. Tom Brady’s reign was one of prosperity and conquest in Foxboro, Massachusetts, with a record six Super Bowls littered throughout the two-decade dynasty.
But that dynasty ended when Titans cornerback Logan Ryan, a former Patriot (2013-16), intercepted Brady’s final pass in New England and returned it for a touchdown at Gillette Stadium in the 2019 AFC divisional playoffs, to seal Tennessee's 20-13 victory.
Now, Ryan is putting that ball — a symbolic reminder of the fall of the Patriots dynasty — up for auction as part of this month’s Goldin 100, Part 2.
But besides the ball being historic, as it was Brady’s final pass in New England, Brady also signed and inscribed the ball, writing “My last pass as a Patriot” with his signature, the date and “Logan Ryan INT”.
“That took years of courage for that to happen,” Ryan said.
The defensive back certainly didn’t ask Brady for the signature after the game. Normally, Ryan gave his intercepted balls to family and friends. His mom has his first interception, and his dad has his pick off Peyton Manning.
“I wasn’t giving anyone this ball,” Ryan said.
Former Titans coach Mike Vrabel actually was quite upset with Ryan for running the pick back for a touchdown, Ryan said. Because if he just slid down, Tennessee could’ve ran out the clock, instead of giving the Patriots a few seconds left.
“When you get the chance to pick-six Brady,” Ryan said. “Obviously I’m going to take that opportunity ... it could be a top-three play in Titans history.”
The football remained in his home for the next two years. He admittedly had to put it in a case after he saw his kids kicking it around the house.
Come on man @RealLoganRyan pic.twitter.com/x1lpAecSsP
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) January 14, 2023
When Ryan signed with the Buccaneers in 2022, he finally saw his chance to have Brady sign it.
“Tom is great at signing items around Christmas time for his teammates,” Ryan said. “So, I had him sign a couple of T-shirts, and I snuck in the football with a post-it note and said, ‘Hey, can you sign this and date this? And can you also write your last pass as a Patriot?’”
Brady complied, albeit begrudgingly.
Ultimately, Ryan believed he could do more good with the ball than having it sit in a case in his house. With Brady’s blessing, Ryan decided to bring the ball to auction, where part of the proceeds will go to his Ryan Animal Rescue Foundation (RARF).
There has been one bid thus far, for $122,000 with buyer’s premium. Bidding ends at Goldin on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.
“It’s a funny story how our careers ended up with that moment,” Ryan recalled telling Brady. “Let’s do some good with it.”
Matt Liberman is a reporter and video producer for cllct.