Patriots Talk: Julian Edelman on Why Tom Brady Retired, Chances He'll Come Back

Julian Edelman weighs in on why Brady retired, chances of a comeback originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It turns out even the GOAT is human.

Legendary quarterback Tom Brady announced his NFL retirement earlier this month after 22 seasons -- 20 with the New England Patriots and two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The news caught some off-guard, as Brady was still at the top of his game after leading the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns in 2021 and walked away at age 44, one year short of his stated goal to play until 45.

But one of Brady's former teammates who knows him best wasn't shocked to see the seven-time Super Bowl champion go out on top.

Patriots Talk: Julian Edelman wouldn't be surprised by a Tom Brady comeback | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

"It didn't surprise me. It was gonna come sooner or later," ex-Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman told our Tom E. Curran in an exclusive interview for the latest Patriots Talk Podcast. "He's still good, but that's what he likes, probably. He wants to be able to say, 'I can still do it, and I went out on my terms.'

"Personally, it gets tough on an athlete, especially someone who's played for (22) years. When you're a kid, when you're 22 years old, it's easy. But then life happens. Now you have responsibilities. You have kids. He has a wife.

"So, that's a completely different thing that I don't even know about. I have a kid but I don't have a wife that's over here telling me, 'Hey, what are we doing here?' So, it didn't surprise me. And I'm not saying it's just his wife, but I'm just saying, there's other things that you have pulling you from the game."

A desire to spend more time with family -- Brady and his wife, Gisele Bundchen, have two children together, while Brady has a son from his previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynihan -- played a big role in Brady's retirement decision. But the longtime quarterback doesn't seem 100% committed to never playing again, telling Jim Gray, 'You never say never' when asked if he'd consider an NFL comeback one day.

Edelman, who just finished his first full season away from the game after retiring in April 2021, understands why Brady would want to leave the door open on a return.

"My answer for, 'Were you surprised (that) he retired?' was, 'No, I'm not.' And that's the same answer if he comes back," Edelman told Curran. "You wouldn't be surprised. I don't know how he's going to feel in six months when he's sitting there.

"The first offseason when you retire, it's different. You have a routine, you have a body clock that you're so used to. I did it for 12 (years), he did it for 22. So like, it'll hit him in some form or another. But it wouldn't surprise me.

"... I mean, it'd make for a hell of a documentary that I'm sure he would make."

Edelman discussed several other topics with Curran, including his advice for Brady in retirement -- "Keep up on the avocado ice cream" -- what he misses and doesn't miss about football, his thoughts on Mac Jones and the state of the Patriots' offense, and much more.

Check out the full episode by subscribing to the Patriots Talk Podcast or watch on YouTube below.