Julian Edelman and Patriots stars react to Tom Brady retirement

New England Patriots fans were forced to say goodbye on Saturday to the iconic leader of their modern era, quarterback — and GOAT — Tom Brady.

Though rumblings of his retirement had previously leaked, somebody cued Adam Schefter on Saturday afternoon that the discussion was legitimate — even though Schefter’s tweet came before Bruce Arians and the Buccaneers, Brady’s current team, had reportedly been informed of anything.

Over the weekend, as Brady’s Patriots teammates and the squad’s current stars get further informed on what went down, expect a cavalcade of emotion from those who TB12 helped make better.

2022 should be a year filled with Brady celebrations in Foxborough, too. As Pats insider Evan Lazar noted, the team will quite likely waive their waiting period for the Patriots Hall of Fame, superseding Canton.

Julian Edelman, Patriots stars react to Tom Brady’s retirement.

For now, though, the tributes will be reduced to prepared statements and heartfelt tweets, especially as we wait for confirmation from Brady’s camp.

As expected, Julian Edelman was first in line to remember Brady’s unrivaled career, sending a simple and familiar note.

Of course, Edelman couldn’t sign off without taking a miniature victory lap of his own.

Edelman was among the first to accurately predict Brady would be calling it a career at 44 years old, and he was quick to let the world know he’d had a premonition.

Most of all, we’re just glad Brady got a final salute from the Foxborough faithful during his unannounced retirement tour this past season. Naturally, he took home a tight victory in winning time.

Surprisingly, though Brady left the Pats out of his official announcement on Tuesday morning, the team still took the high road and wished him well.

Robert Kraft, too, released a statement.

When Edelman walked away prior to the 2021 season, a piece of the Patriots’ dynasty withered away.

Ditto when Rob Gronkowski retired, unretired, then orchestrated a trade to join Brady on his final two journeys in sunny Florida.

But Brady saying goodbye to the game, two years after shaking Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick’s hands and moving out? This is officially the end of an era.

Hopefully, at least, Brady will enjoy the luxuries of retirement.

Let us know if you need an insider’s tip on what aisle the strawberries are in, Tom.

This article will be updated as more New England Patriots stars share their Tom Brady memories.

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