New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman announced his retirement on social media after spending all 12 seasons of his NFL career with the Patriots. In New England, Edelman helped bring home three NFL championships and had a tremendous impact on his former quarterback Tom Brady, who knows a thing or two about what it means to be a good teammate. He had nothing but praise for when he posted his farewell to his long-term former teammate and friend, via Yahoo Sports:

Without Edelman, Brady would have had one less ring in his collection, as he made the spectacular catch against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, which helped the Patriots come back from the biggest deficit a team had ever faced in Super Bowl history. In addition, he was named Super Bowl MVP for his performance against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

After the news of the retirement, Patriots coach Bill Belichick commented on what Edelman brought to the team and how versatile Edelman truly was, as reported by Khari Thomspon of Boston.com:

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“For all Julian did for our team, what I may appreciate the most is he was the quintessential throwback player. He could, and did, do everything – catch, run, throw, block, return, cover, and tackle – all with an edge and attitude that would not allow him to fail under any circumstance. Julian Edelman is the ultimate competitor and it was a privilege to coach him.”

The NFL world wishes Edelman nothing but the best, as he will leave the league as a champion and one of the fiercest competitors to step on the field.