It wasn't easy for New England Patriots wide receivers to earn Tom Brady's trust. Just ask Julian Edelman. Although Julian Edelman would end up being one of Brady's favorite targets over the course of the quarterback's legendary career, it took a long time for their chemistry to develop with the Patriots.
The Patriots picked Edelman in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. It wasn't until his fifth year playing with Brady and New England that Edelman recorded more than 37 catches or 359 receiving yards in a season.
“It took me years to gain his trust,” Edelman said of Brady on “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce,” presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment. “That was the thing with Brady. When you’re a f— technician who’s been doing it at a high level for such a long time, he already had 11 years in the league when I got there, he had three Super Bowls…. When you’re a guy like that, you don’t want to waste time. Every rep is something to those guys. So they want things done a certain way, right away, the way it needs to be done. And if you don’t, they just – I’m done with that, gimme someone else who knows what they’re doing. You have a built-in pressure, like ‘oh sh—, I can’t f— this up as a young player.’ It took me years to get comfortable. It took me reps with him, which I didn’t get a lot with the team.”
Edelman had a breakout season in 2013. He led the Patriots with 105 receptions for 1,056 yards. Edelman won three Super Bowls with Brady and was named the Super Bowl LIII MVP when the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams.
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