Why Julian Edelman Was Frequent Target of Tom Brady Lash-Outs

Julian Edelman caught nearly 600 passes from Tom Brady over the course of their decade-long run together in New England.

The former Patriots wideout also was the recipient of plenty of tongue lashings from his longtime quarterback during that span.

As Edelman recently explained on Chris Long’s “Green Light” podcast, the dynamic of his verbal jousting with Brady evolved over time. Edelman silently took Brady’s outbursts when he “wasn’t a stud,” but he eventually started giving it back to the seven-time Super Bowl champion after he made a name for himself in the NFL.

But why was Brady always quick to get on Edelman, even when the pair served as one of the better QB-WR duos in the league?

“He used to like to yell at me because, I think, he couldn’t yell at other guys because they would tank if he did,” Edelman told Long, as transcribed by MassLive. “These guys have been watching him since they were like two years old. I was watching him since I was like 13. They would fully tank and quit or get their feelings hurt if a guy like Tom Brady gets on you and just starts yelling at you. So he was very good with who he could yell at and who he couldn’t yell at.”

Edelman continued: “I remember he goes, ‘If I yell at you, you know I love you.’ I’d be like, ‘Yeah… you must really love me then.'”

With Brady now in Tampa Bay, perhaps Rob Gronkowski has taken on the brunt of the future Hall of Fame quarterback’s ire.