Julian Edelman David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Julian Edelman was still under contract with the New England Patriots when Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to the 2020 season. Surely, the veteran quarterback would not have tried to convince his buddy to join him in the Sunshine State, right? Wrong, apparently.

Edelman was a guest on the “ManningCast” show during Monday night’s game between the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Eli Manning asked Edelman if he and Brady ever discussed playing together in Tampa. Edelman revealed that Brady called him the first day Brady signed with the Bucs and asked “you wanna come down?” Edelman says he told Brady “absolutely not.”

Many have assumed that Brady tried to recruit Edelman at some point. The two are close friends and had one of the best on-field connections in NFL history. However, Edelman was asked the same question last month and chose to avoid it.

Edelman loved playing with Brady, but he loved playing for Bill Belichick just as much. He reminded us of that with his hilarious take on Brady’s return to New England earlier this year.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Celtics legend provides update after gruesome finger injury
Bulls hire former NBA head coach as top assistant
Chiefs move on from young running back
20-year MLB veteran working out, unsure about playing future
USA Hockey names HC for 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympics
Key Knicks forward ruled out for Game 7 vs. Pacers
Pacers' Pascal Siakam leads team to Game 6 win vs. Knicks
Watch: Matt Duchene's 2OT winner sends Stars to conference final
Scottie Scheffler shoots improbable 66 after warming up for PGA Championship in a jail cell
Report: Tua Tagovailoa away from Dolphins amid contract chatter
Nuggets star has worrying comment about latest injury
Paul Skenes makes incredible Wrigley Field history in second-career MLB start
Giants rookie CF to undergo season-ending labrum surgery
Yankees' Juan Soto reacts to Hal Steinbrenner contract talk
Late goal sends Panthers to Eastern Conference Finals
Ex-teammate of Shohei Ohtani placed bets with same illegal bookmaker as interpreter 
Former Rams first-round pick retires from NFL after 11 seasons
Insider provides major injury update on Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis
Watch: Bruins strike first in Game 6 with incredible backhand goal
Dodgers make series of moves involving notable players