Julian Edelman Briefly Causes Patriots Fan Panic With April Fool’s Joke

Those unaware of the calendar might have been briefly duped Friday into believing Julian Edelman was joining up with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay.

The former New England Patriots wide receiver posted a graphic on Twitter announcing he’d signed with the Buccaneers, including the caption: “Onto the next chapter” with a pirate flag emoji.

But the graphic also included an important disclaimer in the bottom-right corner: “*april fools.”

No, Edelman, who ended his playing career last offseason due to lingering knee problems, is not reuniting with his old quarterback in Tampa. But his “announcement” surely triggered a fleeting moment of panic in the minds of some unassuming Patriots fans.

Edelman wasn’t the only NFL player to pull a fast one on fans Friday. Tight end David Njoku tweeted that he was requesting a trade from the Cleveland Browns, then waited seven minutes before revealing it was an April Fool’s gag.

A reminder to all of you out there: Don’t believe anything you read on Twitter on April 1.