Patriots: Julian Edelman must absorb Tom Brady’s leadership role in 2020

Patriots WR Julian Edelman must assume Tom Brady’s leadership role in 2020.

While Tom Brady is busy adjusting to life in Tampa Bay and conducting offseason workouts with his new Buccaneers teammates, the Patriots are looking to turn the page towards a new chapter of success.

The departure of the three-time MVP leaves a plethora of holes in New England, one of which was filled by the signing of Cam Newton. With that being said, it would be pretty heedless to ask the 31-year-old quarterback to step in and assume full leadership of a team whose culture he is entirely unfamiliar with.

In our eyes, that’s precisely what makes wide receiver Julian Edelman more valuable to the Patriots than ever before.

It would be irresponsible to deny the significance of social media interactions in today’s day and age, and those signs suggest that Edelman is ready to shoulder the burden of becoming the most prominent leader insider New England’s locker room.

Not only is the 34-year-old vet establishing an unbreakable bond with 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham — look at how often the latter is in the former’s comments on Instagram — but he also took the time to welcome Newton to Foxborough in a clever tweet. On top of that, he was spotted running routes with the three-time Pro Bowler shortly after he landed in Boston last week.

Based on seniority and the fact that he’s one of the few remaining pieces of the “Brady era,” it’s Edelman’s responsibility to boost the morale of the Patriots’ young receiving corps and help them get on the same page with Newton.

There’s no doubting that New England will need Edelman to produce on the field, especially after recording 100 receptions for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns in 2019.

However, he will be just as important in the locker room, where he will be looked up to as a voice of influence, as well as the perfect link between Newton and his new culture. We’ll hazard a guess and say that he’s up for the challenge.