Julian Edelman is watching from afar as two of his longtime New England Patriots teammates are one victory away from a Super Bowl berth, and the wide receiver cannot help but be weirded out by the jarring optics of it all.
Edelman will be cheering on Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field in the NFC Championship Game. Still, seeing Brady and Gronk wearing Buccaneer red, pewter and Bay orange remains somewhat unsettling for Edelman.
“I wanna see those guys do well,” Edelman said this week on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take” podcast, via TMZ Sports. “It’s awesome seeing Gronk and Tommy doing well and playing and making big plays … it’s obviously, definitely weird, but it is what it is.”
Edelman won three Super Bowls alongside Brady, and it’s clear the bond between the two longtime pals has endured despite the quarterback’s departure.
“It’s kind of like a relationship, or a marriage, where you grew apart but you still love each other,” Edelman said on the podcast.
“You still may have a couple kids [read: championships]. We have 3 kids. So there’s still communication of what you guys are going through and how you’re doing but you both got your own lives that you have to keep on going towards and that’s kind of how it’s like.”
Edelman, who missed most of the 2020 NFL season after undergoing knee surgery, also weighed in on his NFL future, although he declined to reveal much about his deliberations except they are ongoing.
When it comes to Brady, Edelman admits it’s difficult to predict what’s in store long term when it comes to the seemingly ageless 43-year-old quarterback.
“I don’t know what his plan is, but knowing him — it’s all in [when] that little fire turns off in his little chest and I don’t think that things gonna be turning off here soon,” Edelman said.
In the short term, there is little doubt that Edelman will be pulling for his buddy as Brady seeks a 10th trip to the Super Bowl and the opportunity to win a seventh ring with Gronk along for the ride.
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