Getty Julian Edelman has plenty of impersonations of teammates and coaches to offer.
It appears Patriots veteran WR and long-time teammate of Tom Brady, Julian Edelman may be interested in following the future Hall-of-Famer to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady is expected to sign a lucrative deal with the Bucs soon after announcing he will not return to the Patriots for a 21st season. Edelman, who has become very close to Brady during their 11 years together in New England, is seemingly experiencing the most separation anxiety of Brady’s now ex-teammates.
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Julian Edelman is Missing Tom Brady Already
Edelman initially tweeted a heartfelt one-word response to news that Brady was leaving the team. However, on Thursday, Edelman liked this suggestive tweet from legendary cornerback and NFL.com analyst Deion Sanders.
Bleacher Report Gridiron captured the snapshot that proves Edelman liked the post:
How Seriously Should You Take Edelman’s Like on Twitter?
This obviously doesn’t mean Edelman is set to demand a trade from the Patriots, but if that option was presented, would anyone be surprised? Edelman is heading into a second season of a two-year $15.5 million contract, however, there is a potential out after the upcoming season.
Edelman’s Future With the Patriots and Fit With the Bucs
Edelman is 33 years old, and with the mass exodus we’ve seen from the Patriots over the past two days, it wouldn’t be a total shock if Belichick and the Pats’ brass made other long-time members of the team–especially a mid-30s slot receiver adjoined to Brady–available for the right offer. Belichick and the Patriots have become the successful evil empire because of their eye for talent, but also for the cold, and emotionless way they handle free agency and trades.
If Belichick deems it is in the team’s best interest to part ways with a player–even Brady–it will happen. It’s unclear how much value Edelman might have, but if the Bucs call with the right offer, Belichick would almost certainly recommend pulling the trigger.
Edelman>Antonio Brown
There are rumors that Brady wants the Bucs to consider bringing in troubled free-agent wide receiver Antonio Brown, but if Edelman was available for the right price, he might be a much easier sell to Bucs head coach Bruce Arians and the team’s front office.
Arians doesn’t appear to have been fond of Brown, based on his previous dealings with the receiver who was seemingly ostracized from the league during the 2019 season. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com chimed in with a brief report that you can see below:
New #Bucs QB Tom Brady may want to bring Antonio Brown with him to Tampa Bay, but it doesn’t sound like coach Bruce Arians enjoyed his previous time with AB.
At this point, it would be unwise to look too deeply into Edelman’s desire to be moved to Tampa Bay. For now, it’s smarter to chalk it up to a subtle and continued tribute to friendship and an admiration for a departing teammate.
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