The bulk of the NFL’s top quarterbacks have the luxury of throwing to a top-flight receiver.
Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill can stretch the field like no others. Drew Brees and Michael Thomas seem to light it up on a weekly basis. Matt Ryan will be the first one to tell you they don’t get much better than Julio Jones.
Despite these and plenty other stellar quarterback-wide receiver duos, former NFL cornerback Darius Butler believes the tandem in Foxboro still reigns supreme. During Tuesday’s edition of “Get Up!” on ESPN, Butler explained why he puts Tom Brady and Julian Edelman atop the power rankings of QB-WR units.
“The biggest moments, the biggest stage, the biggest games — if it’s one guy to get me a 3rd-and-5, one quarterback, one receiver to get it to: Tom Brady and Julian Edelman,” Butler said. “Gotta go there. Is he (Edelman) gonna go for 1,200 yards? Is Tom Brady gonna lead the league in passing yards this year? Probably not. But they’ll probably be in the Super Bowl or at least the AFC Championship. They’ve been in it every year. Look up the playoff receiving records, you’ll see a guy up there — Julian Edelman.”
The order of this list will come down to what you prioritize. If you value only talent and stats, Edelman and Brady might not even crack your top 10. But if you put an emphasis on success, it’s impossible to overlook the Patriots pairing.
The Brady-Edelman connection guided New England to its sixth Super Bowl title in franchise history. They won’t help you win your fantasy football league, but you probably shouldn’t bet against them hoisting yet another Lombardi Trophy in February.
