The reunion of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in 2020 was one for the books. The two former teammates relived their Patriots days in Tampa Bay and even lifted the Lombardy Trophy together one last time. However, one key member of their offensive trio was missing — Julian Edelman.
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The former wide receiver spent twelve long seasons in New England and stuck with his draft team till the end, unlike his teammates. His decision to not join his former teammates in Tampa Bay has since become a topic of conversation and friendly banter. As a result, in the debut episode of Edelman and Gronkowski’s podcast, ‘Dudes on Dudes,’ the two finally addressed the lingering question.
Gronk wasted no time and immediately jumped into the meat of the matter:
“I know Tom called you and was like, ‘Hey Jules, you want to come to the Buccaneers?’ And you said ‘No, I’m a Patriot for life.'”
Poking fun at Edelman, the former tight end also playfully remarked, “You were too cool for us,” adding that, on the other hand, Baker Mayfield instantly moved to Tampa Bay when the opportunity arose. Rob even described the QB as a “dude’s dude,” hinting at how Edelman wasn’t when he rejected the offer.
Edelman was quick to deny the humorous allegation and revealed the exact reason why he didn’t leave the Patriots: “I was under a contract, Rob,” The former receiver said, referencing his $18 million contract that bound him to the franchise till 2021. However, Gronk wasn’t done yet!
He explained how playing his final years in Tampa Bay was a “resurgence” of his football career, and it would have been the same for Edelman as well. Gronkowski further said that had Edelman joined the Buccaneers, he would’ve probably still be playing alongside Mayfield.
The former WR, however, held his ground and dramatically compared himself to Titanic’s violinist, who decided to sink with the ship after the vessel hit the iceberg.
“I had to go down with the ship, buddy. I had to go down with the goddamn ship. Have you seen ‘Titanic,’ you know the old captain? You know the violin guy?”
Edelman has stayed firm in his commitment to the Patriots over the years, dismissing earlier rumors of a scenery change by describing himself as a “one-team guy” in the past. The receiver wasn’t swayed until he decided to hang up his cleats in 2021 due to chronic knee issues.
Brady says why Julian Edelman didn’t come to Tampa Bay
While Brady was successful in getting Gronk and Antonio Brown over to Tampa Bay in a mini-Patriots reunion, his offer was rejected by Edelman. Even after their retirement, the NFL legend joked about how the receiver hasn’t hung his cleats for good and wishes to join Tampa Bay during an appearance on the 2021 NFL Draft Call.
Brady has a hilarious reason behind his former teammate’s rejection too, and it’s not the contract. The former QB joked that Edelman was too scared of their head coach, Bill Belichick, to make the switch!
“We know Julian didn’t retire, let’s be honest. He’s just too scared to tell Bill he wanted to come to Tampa.”
Though it’s fun to imagine what the Buccaneers might have looked like had Edelman joined his teammates, his legacy as a Patriot is cemented, and his friendship with Brady and Gronk continues to entertain Patriots fans even in retirement.
