Patriots icon Julian Edelman shares touching Randy Moss story

New England Patriots icon Julian Edelman once revealed how he was brought to tears as a rookie by none other than living legend Tom Brady early into the 2009 season. 

On the latest edition of Brady's "Let's Go!" SiriusXM show and podcast, Edelman shared a tale from his debut pro campaign about how he was taken care of by Hall of Famer Randy Moss. 

"As the rookie receiver of the room, I’d have to go in and buy the lunches," Edelman explained, according to Tim Crowley of NESN. "He knew I didn’t have much money. He’d always slide me a couple hundred bucks. Randy was kind of like that older brother for me that always looked out, but in front of everyone, he had to let them know, '(I’m not) giving him treatment.' That was part of the game for entering the Patriots that year. I’m very thankful for having Randy and Tom." 

Such mentorship paid off in the long run. Edelman entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick from the 2009 draft, converted to the role of wide receiver from playing quarterback in college and ultimately earned three championship rings and Super Bowl LIII Most Valuable Player honors during a New England tenure that lasted until he retired following the 2020 season. 

Moss, of course, was part of the famous 2007 Patriots team that finished the regular season with a perfect 16-0 record but then lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. He never hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy as a player. 

"Randy was the guy (who) gave you tough love, but when people weren’t watching and we were by ourselves, Randy would always love me up," Edelman noted. "He knew I was mentally battling through the struggles of trying to make this crazy team. We had a lot of players in that room that were very viable players."