Julian Edelman explains why he didn’t join Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski on Buccaneers

"I had to go down with the ship, buddy."

Tom Brady was not the only Patriots legend who made the move down to Tampa Bay ahead of the 2020 NFL season.

A little over a month after Brady signed with the Buccaneers, former New England tight end Rob Gronkowski joined his quarterback down in Florida.

After hanging up his spikes following nine years in New England, Gronkowski opted to come out of retirement to play with Brady again — with the Patriots trading his rights to Tampa in April 2020.

If Brady had his way, his longtime teammate and dependable wide receiver, Julian Edelman, would have joined him in Tampa as well.

The Patriots wideout noted in November 2021 that Brady reached out to him right after he signed with the Bucs, imploring the slot receiver to join him in hopes of another championship run or two.

Edelman ultimately relented, playing one final season with the Patriots in 2020. While Edelman was limited to just six games for a 7-9 Patriots team that season, Brady and Gronkowski went on to win Super Bowl LV against the Chiefs that season.

Speaking on a recent episode of their new “Dudes on Dudes” podcast, Gronkowski and Edelman discussed why the receiver opted to stick in Foxborough instead of joining Brady for one last run.

“I was under contract, Rob,” Edelman declared.

“This is a resurgence of my career,” Gronkowski said of his decision to join Brady in Florida. “Which would have been a resurgence of your career, Jules, if you came down. You would probably still be playing with [current Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield] if you went to the Bucs.”

“I had to go down with the ship, buddy,” Edelman said. “I had to go down with the [expletive] damn ship,” Edelman said. “Have you seen ‘Titanic?’ You know the old captain? You know the violin guy?”

“You’re the violin guy,” Gronkowski added. “I respect that, bro.”

Gronkowski did revive his career in Tampa after initially calling it quits with New England in 2019. Along with winning a Super Bowl with the Bucs, Gronkowski reeled in 100 catches for 1,425 yards and 13 touchdowns over his two seasons in Tampa Bay.

Still, Gronkowski’s claim that Edelman would have extended his career in Tampa might be a stretch. Edelman was already limited during that 2020 season due to chronic knee issues, which eventually prompted his retirement in April 2021.

“I swear if I didn’t play in New England I’d still be playing because we practiced so goddamn hard. That’s honestly why I retired,” Edelman said in July 2023 during an appearance on Jason and Travis Kelce’s podcast “New Heights.” “I couldn’t practice. I was getting three reps a practice, and then I was getting into the pool because my knee, I was (expletive) up.”

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.