Patriots: Julian Edelman’s comments on Tom Brady are actually pretty sad

Patriots WR Julian Edelman commented on his relationship with Tom Brady.

When you consider that Julian Edelman is one of the few players on the Patriots remaining from the Tom Brady era, it must be grueling for him to watch his former quarterback continue to make winning in the playoffs look ordinary in his first season away from New England.

On top of that, Edelman labored through what proved to be a lost year after he battled a lingering knee injury that ultimately required surgery. The 34-year-old wideout was limited to just six games and he wasn’t exactly padding the stat sheet before he went under the knife, averaging 3.5 receptions for 52.5 yards in those contests, both of which are a far cry from his lofty standards.

It truly remains to be seen what the future holds for Edelman, but during an appearance on the “Pardon My Take” podcast this week, he touched on the possibility of retirement. While that topic is extremely relevant, however, his comments about his relationship with Brady were actually more telling … if only because they were pretty disheartening.

"“It’s kind of like a relationship or a marriage where you grew apart but you still love each other,” Edelman said. “You still love each other. You may have a couple kids. We have three kids (Super Bowl rings?). So there’s still communication of what you guys are going through and how you’re doing.“But you’ve both got your own lives that you have to keep on going towards. That’s kind of how it’s like. I want to see those guys do well. It’s awesome seeing Gronk and Tommy doing well and playing and making big plays. Right now it’s obviously definitely weird, but it is what it is.”"

These comments also make you ponder if he’ll push for a move to the Buccaneers once the new league year gets underway. After all, there were rumors about him potentially teaming up with them before it was ultimately revealed that he was blindsided by their decision.

Edelman went on to rattle off intangibles that make Brady as great as he is and the sheer awe in which he spoke about the 43-year-old quarterback encapsulated just how much he looked up to him on the football field. That speaks volumes when you consider how close the two former longtime teammates are off the gridiron.

We hate to put words in Edelman’s mouth, but these comments really make it seem he’s got a serious case of FOMO, and we really don’t blame him if that’s the case. After all, the former seventh-round pick is fresh off arguably his worst season as a pro and is now forced to watch two of his closest friends compete for the chance to reach another Super Bowl.

Edelman probably wouldn’t approve of us pinning him as the victim in all this, but it’s hard not to feel bad for him right now, especially with his Patriots future as uncertain as ever.

Patriots: Julian Edelman’s latest comments don’t have us feeling good about 2021

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman appeared on Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" and talked about his 2020 season as well as his NFL future.