Tom Brady penned a message to former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman following his retirement announcement on Monday.
On Monday, the NFL received the stunning news that the New England Patriots had terminated the contract of wide receiver Julian Edelman. Shortly after the reports surfaced, Edelman posted a video to his Twitter account to officially announce his retirement from professional football.
The tributes began pouring in following the announcement, but everyone was waiting for the tribute from his quarterback and teammate of 11 years — Tom Brady. The current Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal caller penned a lengthy, emotional message to Edelman on his Instagram, congratulating him for an “amazing journey” in the NFL.
Brady’s full message can be read below:
Tom Brady bids farewell to former teammate Julian Edelman
Edelman first joined the Patriots as a seventh-round draft pick out of Kent State in 2009. He was a former quarterback, but made the transition to wide receiver. Who would have thought the former signal caller would be Brady’s top target for a decade.
During their time together, the duo made the playoffs and won the AFC East title every single year. Additionally, they made the Super Bowl four times (Edelman missed Super Bowl 52) and won three Lombardi Trophies. Their last trip to the big game was Super Bowl 53, where Brady connected with Edelman 10 times for 141 yards in the Patriots’ 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
While Edelman does have 620 receptions, 6,822 yards and 36 touchdowns to his credit through 11 regular seasons, he owns the distinction of owning 118 receptions for 1,442 yards in the playoffs, which both rank as the second-most by a wide receiver in NFL history. The only wideout to have more in the postseason is Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
As Brady mentions, Edelman played a prominent role in that decade of dominance for the Patriots. Not that Edelman’s football career has ended, Brady knows that he will succeed in whatever he chooses to pursue next.