Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman in Tampa Bay? According to Edelman, his former quarterback tried to make that happen.
During an appearance on Monday’s ESPN “ManningCast,” the retired New England Patriots wide receiver said Brady unsuccessfully tried to recruit him to the Buccaneers after the QB signed there in March 2020.
“He hit me up the first day he signed there,” Edelman told Peyton and Eli Manning during the Bucs’ 30-10 win over the New York Giants. “He was like, ‘Do you want to come down?’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely not.'”
It’s unclear whether Edelman, Brady’s favorite Patriots target and close friend, was being entirely truthful with that statement. He was under contract at the time, meaning he only could have joined Brady and Gronkowski in Tampa if New England decided to trade him there.
David Ortiz asked Edelman the same question during an October episode of Barstool Sports’ “Call Him Papi,” and the wideout played coy, saying he “can neither confirm nor can I deny” whether Brady attempted to woo him to Tampa.
Edelman wound up spending one more injury-shortened season in Foxboro, Mass., before announcing his retirement this past April. He’s now working as an analyst for “Inside the NFL” while Brady and Gronkowski chase their second post-Patriots championship.
Monday’s win over the Giants improved the Bucs’ record to 7-3, good for third-best in the NFC. The 7-4 Patriots, on the heels of a five-game win streak, occupy the same spot in the AFC.
