New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Julian Edelman offers first quote about moving on after Tom Brady’s departure

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 8/10/20

It’s fair to say that no member of the New England Patriots was closer to Tom Brady than Julian Edelman. For that reason, there was extensive speculation about how Edelman would react after Brady’s departure in free agency.

Edelman spoke for the first time since the end of the 2019-20 season on Monday, saying that as much as he loves Brady, life goes on with or without him in New England.

“I love him to death but the train keeps on moving.” – Julian Edelman when I asked him about Tom Brady’s departure. Today is the first time we’ve spoken to Edelman since the 2019-20 season ended. #Patriots @nflnetwork @AroundTheNFL

— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) August 10, 2020

Fundamentally, Edelman has no choice but to move on. While some of the wide receiver’s social media activity fueled talk that he was looking for ways to join Brady in Tampa Bay, the reality according to one teammate is that the 34-year-old is eager to prove that his success isn’t simply down to him being Brady’s favorite target.

2019 marked the third 1,000-yard season of Edelman’s career, and he caught 100 passes for the second time as well. His focus in camp will be on developing as good a rapport with likely Patriots starter Cam Newton as he possibly can, not on anything relating to Brady.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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