Tom Brady fuels speculation by working out with Julian Edelman

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots and Julian Edelman #11. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots and Julian Edelman #11. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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These old New England Patriots just can’t seem to put football on hold. After Rob Gronkowski announced that he was returning to the NFL to win a championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers two years back, Tom Brady replicated the feat just a month after announcing his initial retirement. Could Julian Edelman do the same?

Edelman initially hung it up after the 2020 season, as Bill Belichick turned the page on that era of Patriots football and went ahead with the Mac Jones epoch. While the record was poor and Edelman’s numbers declined, that did little to erode the legacy that he built for himself.

While New England appears to be a fringe playoff team at best in an AFC that is getting tougher by the day, Tampa Bay looks primed for a division title in the laughable NFC South and a playoff run in an NFC that lacks elite quarterback talent. Edelman isn’t exactly shutting those rumors down on Twitter.

Brady posted a video of him and Edelman working out, with the famous slot receiver catching some more trademark slants over the middle from Brady. While nothing is set in stone yet, the Brady retirement set a precedent. Edelman returning for one last ride might not be so crazy.

Former Patriots WR Julian Edelman was seen working out with Tom Brady.

Now, rumor has it this footage was from a session that took place last year.

But it was posted now for a reason. Let the speculation fly.

On one hand, signing Edelman would be foolish. He’s going to be 36 in May, he struggled with major injuries during the last few years of his tenure, and he would seem out of place in a Bruce Arians offense that prioritizes throwing the ball deep down the field.

On the other hand, Chris Godwin is coming off of a major injury. Considering how youngsters like Tyler Johnson and Jaelon Darden didn’t set the world on fire last season, could Tampa add Edelman as a WR4 behind Godwin, Mike Evans, and Russell Gage? After they pulled Gronkowski out of retirement, anything is possible.

Edelman seemed to have some fun throwing gasoline on this fire, asking fans how his knee looked after the workout. Is this going to be a predecessor for a third Patriots unretirement?

Edelman may need to put his recent career as a Patriots Twitter legend on hold if he thinks he has enough left in the tank for a run at a fourth championship.

On a Bucs team that lost some key contributors to free agency and is asking young players to return from concerning injuries, Edelman becoming a veteran presence has a non-zero chance of happening.