Tom Brady Name-Drops Bill Belichick In Eyebrow-Raising Julian Edelman Retirement Comment

Did Julian Edelman retire because he was afraid to tell Bill Belichick he wanted to go to Tampa Bay?

That is the conspiracy Tom Brady laid the groundwork for Thursday night.

During an NFL Network Zoom call that featured Brady, Edelman, Kevin Hart, Deion Sanders and a few others, the topic of Edelman’s retirement was, unsurprisingly, brought up.

Brady decided to chime in with an eyebrow-raising comment.

“We know Julian didn’t retire,” Brady said. “Let’s be honest, he’s just too scared to tell Bill (Belichick) he wants to come to Tampa.”

Brady then quips: “I’ve been there.”

(You can watch the full exchange here)

You’ll notice Edelman ducks pretty much every remark about a potential comeback.

Of course, that’s partially notable because Rob Gronkowski effectively did what Brady is suggesting. He retired from the New England Patriots, took a year off and then returned to the NFL, but only if he could play for the Buccaneers. Edelman doing the same thing would not be the least bit surprising.

But, in this instance, Brady was joking.

…right?