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Tom Brady tried to keep his New England Patriots band together when joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The iconic quarterback brought Rob Gronkowski out of retirement to the Buccaneers in 2020. Brady also recruited another longtime Patriots teammate.
Appearing on The Rush, Julian Edelman told Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby that Brady contacted him after going to Tampa Bay. However, the wide receiver decided to stay put.
“He hit me up when he left, and he goes, ‘Hey baby, you want me to get you down here?’ I’m like, ‘Nah, I’m good, bro. I’m a one-team man.'”
Edelman called himself a “pretty loyal guy,” at least in terms of football.
The former seventh-round pick spent his entire 11-year NFL career in New England. He played alongside Brady for a decade, tallying a career-high 1,117 receiving yards during their final season together.
Edelman said Brady joked about leaving the Patriots for so long that he considered it a “boy crying wolf” situation when the all-time passing leader finally changed teams. Yet Edelman stayed behind for one more season.
Following Brady’s exit, Edelman played just six more games for the Pats. He caught 21 of 39 targets for 315 yards before a knee injury ended his 2020 season and, effectively, his NFL career.
On the other hand, Brady and Gronkowski captured another Super Bowl title in Tampa Bay.
Perhaps Edelman missed an opportunity to retire on brighter terms, but he still concluded his career with three Super Bowl rings and the third-most postseason receiving yards in NFL history.