"It wouldn't surprise me if he came back" - Julian Edelman predicts Tom Brady's NFL return
Julian Edelman and Tom Brady were teammates for 11 seasons on the New England Patriots. They are also friends off the field and have maintained that relationship since the quarterback left New England.
Edelman, who announced his retirement last off-season, was on Tom E. Curran's Patriots Talk podcast this week. He was asked if he would be surprised if his former quarterback decided to return to the football field.
Edelman said that, from his personal experience, when the season begins, it will hit you that you're not on the usual routine. But, that while he can't speak for Tom Brady, it wouldn't surprise him if he decided to change his mind.
"I don't know how he's gonna feel in six months. When you know he's sitting there and the first offseason when you retired, it's different. You know, you have a routine, you have a body clock... You're so used to you know, I did it for 12. He did it for 22. So, like, it's gonna have to, you know, it'll hit him in some form or another, but I don't you know. It wouldn't surprise me if he came back."-Julian Edelman
He continued, by speaking of Tom Brady's retirement in general. Edelman said that he understands why he decided to leave the NFL and focus on his personal life. But, that, as a fan of the game, it's sad that this chapter has closed.
"Like when you start having another like when you're a kid when you're 22 years old, it's easy, you know, but then life happens. Just you...that's just you now you have responsibility. You have kids you have you know, he has a wife. So that's, that's a completely different thing I don't even know about. I have a kid. I don't have a wife that's over here telling me, 'Hey, you know, what are we doing here?' So, you know, it didn't surprise me. And I'm not saying it's just his wife... but I'm just saying like, there's other things that you have pulling you from the game. And, you know, I'm just happy for him and you know, what a career. I'm sad because that's, this is an end of an era."-Julian Edelman
Brandon Boldon reiterates Julian Edelman comments about Tom Brady's future
Julian Edelman wasn't the only former teammate of Tom Brady's to state that he wouldn't be shocked if the quarterback returned to the game.
Brandon Bolden, who played seven seasons with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, recently said to CBS Sports that he too was sad to see Brady retire; however, he believes the chances of a return are "above 50" and that he would never bet against the future Hall of Famer.
“I was — I don’t wanna say bummed out — when he retired, but I was like, ‘Dang,’ because I wanted to see how far he could set the bar. (But) I’d probably put the percentage of a comeback above 50 because you can just never rule out Tom Brady.”-Brandon Bolden
With former teammates and those around the game all speculating that Tom Brady could make a comeback, at this point, it wouldn't be surprising to NFL fans, if he appears back on the field this summer.