New England Patriots have to ‘move on’ after Tom Brady’s departure

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For the first time in his career, Julian Edelman is entering a season without Tom Brady.

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As the receiver prepares for his 11th NFL season, everyone knows the story of Edelman and Brady. When he was a young player, Edelman was so enamored with the veteran quarterback, he moved out to California with the hope of training with Brady in the offseason. It took Edelman five years, but he became one of Brady’s go-to targets and best friends.

It’ll be hard to create a Brady-like connection with whoever starts at quarterback this season for the Patriots, but Edelman is moving forward with an open mind.

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“Obviously, it was a little different scenario. You’ve got to move on and you understand this is a business and wish him well,” Edelman said on Monday. “That’s when you instantly start to think about what you can do to prepare yourself to go out and contribute and help the team for the upcoming year. Obviously, yeah, we played a lot of ball together. I love him to death, but the train keeps moving.”



Julian Edelman et al. looking at a phone: Tom Brady (left) and Julian Edelman attended a game between the Syracuse Orange and the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Carrier Dome before Brady decided to leave the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

© Mark Konezny, USA TODAY Sports
Tom Brady (left) and Julian Edelman attended a game between the Syracuse Orange and the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Carrier Dome before Brady decided to leave the New England Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Patriots offense is about to embark on a chapter that hasn’t been seen in New England in decades. No one knows what this offensive group will truly look like without Brady in part because we don’t know who will win the quarterback competition between Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer.

What is clear is that Edelman will play a big role in the offense’s success. The 34-year-old is coming off one of his best NFL seasons after finishing 2019 with 100 receptions, a career-high 1,117 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Edelman has also worked with all three quarterbacks this offseason — getting together with Newton in California as well as Stidham and Hoyer in Massachusetts.

Edelman said all three quarterbacks have made positive impressions this summer, especially Newton when the pair connected for the first time this past July.

“He’s a specimen for sure. When you first meet him, just his stature. The dude is large, put together well and he’s got a great energy,” Edelman said. “He’s got a great energy about himself. I was really impressed with his work ethic and his mindset. Just like I’ve been impressed with Stidham’s and Hoyer’s. I’ve been throwing with those guys as well. Everyone is out here and everyone is competing at all positions. Competition makes us all better.”

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When Newton signed, Edelman called him and told him the Patriots’ offensive playbook was like “calculus.” It remains to be seen how Newton acclimates to the Patriots’ playbook and system. It also remains to be seen how Stidham, entering his second NFL season, has progressed with the playbook.

Although the Patriots’ system is known for its complexity, Edelman isn’t overly concerned about any of the quarterbacks’ abilities to grasp it.

“It’s difficult, but we’ve got Hoyer who’s played here, who’s been in this system, you have Stidham, who has a year under his belt and you’ve got Cam, who, this guy is a heck of a football player,” Edelman said. “This isn’t his first year playing football. This guy is a former MVP. He’s played in a lot of big games. I’ve got a lot of faith in our coaching staff — Josh (McDaniels) and Jedd (Fisch) and offensive guys — along with some of the veteran players to go out and try our best to prepare everyone to the best we can. That’s what this season is going to be about — adjusting and overcoming certain situations that everyone has to deal with.”

The offseason workouts helped further Edelman’s relationships along with the Patriots’ quarterbacks, but the real test starts when pads come on next week (Aug. 17). As of right now, the Pats still haven’t had a single practice. There’s plenty of unknown about this offense, but whoever wins the starting quarterback job will absolutely rely on Edelman this season.

“That takes time and that takes reps and that takes experience,” Edelman said of a receiver-quarterback connection. “Right now, we’re really focused on getting our condition, brushing up our minds on the material our coaches are giving us and learning each other. … The on-the-field stuff, that comes through reps, that comes through time, that comes through meetings and just sitting and being around each other. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”


32. Giants (Previous: 30): Big Blue might just be a gang of green, especially now that LT Nate Solder’s opt out could thrust pair of rookie tackles into lineup.



31. Panthers (31): New coach. New coordinators. New QB. No Luke Kuechly. Some nice players here, sure, but this is one team that really needed on-field work this spring.



30. Jaguars (32): DE Yannick Ngakoue and RB Leonard Fournette, arguably Jags’ two best players, probably their biggest wild cards aside from QB Gardner Minshew.



29. Washington (28): RB Derrius Guice’s release the latest chapter to bleak offseason. QB Alex Smith could provide much needed feel-good narrative.



28. Jets (24): Strong 2019 finish tempered by loss of their best player Jamal Adams, LB C.J. Mosley’s opt-out plus apparent lack of bottom feeders on 2020 schedule.



27. Bears (29): Though focus is rightly on their unsettled passing game, this defense also looking like it might be equally susceptible through the air.



26. Bengals (25): Offense is loaded with exciting array of skill players, but this offseason could delay O-line cohesion and rookie QB Joe Burrow’s NFL transition.



25. Rams (20): Is bloom coming off the Sean McVay rose? That might be premature, but he’s got something to prove while counting heavily on revived run game and rookie DC Brandon Staley.



24. Dolphins (23): We’re all in on Brian Flores’ leadership … but might be tough to avoid another slow start given mass influx of free agents and rookies.



23. Raiders (27): Great potential. They’re more competitive on field than 2019 edition of Silver and Black … yet might still ultimately regress in win column.



22. Chargers (17): Rivers’ departure is their primary storyline entering 2020, but offense might be better geared to veteran QB Tyrod Taylor’s style.



21. Lions (22): If QB Matthew Stafford remains upright, rookie RB D’Andre Swift thrives and ex-Pats defensive reinforcements deliver, Detroit could surprise.



20. Texans (21): Even if they’ve successfully spackled receiving corps following Hopkins deal, is 28th-ranked defense good enough to sustain AFC South kings?



19. Cardinals (18): Even if they’ve successfully bolstered receiving corps following DeAndre Hopkins deal, fortunes may reside with 2019’s league-worst D.



18. Browns (26): New coach Kevin Stefanski may fit offensive personnel like a glove and may – eventually – help 2019 preseason darlings fulfill vast promise.



17. Broncos (14): Resurrection seems imminent if QB Drew Lock’s arc doesn’t flatten. However he’ll basically have to adapt to his rookie wideouts on the fly.



16. Falcons (16): Their outlook could pivot with new defensive boss Raheem Morris’ unit given Atlanta has maintained a top-10 offense six seasons running.



15. Patriots (19): QB Cam Newton’s ability to integrate and generate offense projects as increasingly vital with 2019’s top defense stripped by free agency, COVID opt outs.



14. Vikings (5): Onus for success may lie with QB Kirk Cousins and Co. unless Mike Zimmer can swiftly repair defense which lost quite a few linemen and corners.



13. Eagles (12): After promising – and relatively unheralded – rookie year, don’t be surprised if RB Miles Sanders breaks out to catapult offense forward.



12. Seahawks (15): They paid top dollar for S Jamal Adams. But an atypically weak Seattle defense needed a boost … and this team doesn’t draft well in Round 1 anyway.



11. Cowboys (13): From talent perspective, hard to argue they’re not class of NFC East. But that was true of last year’s 8-8 squad. Welcome, coach McCarthy.



10. Packers (10): After largely sitting out free agency and drafting with an eye toward long-term future, last year’s NFC finalists seem poised to retrograde.



9. Bills (11): Good luck finding a better secondary – one that should help an ever-deeper fleet of pass rushers improve on last season’s total of 44 sacks.



8. Titans (8): Ryan Tannehill’s NFL-high 117.5 QB rating in 2019 topped his six-year average in Miami by 30+ points. Can he possibly maintain that level?



7. Buccaneers (7): TB12, Gronk and BA? What a bummer HBO opted to profile the Bucs in 2017’s fairly forgettable installment of “Hard Knocks.”



6. Colts (6): Even if you weren’t amped about non-traditional training camp look, QB Philip Rivers reporting in a Hickory High shirt had to get you at least a little juiced.



5. Steelers (9): Imagine if they could’ve married their 2018 offense to 2019’s defense. Alas. But Big Ben’s return should restore Pittsburgh to AFC’s elite.



4. 49ers (4): This offense might initially look a touch one-dimensional … at least as long as WR Deebo Samuel is recovering from his broken foot.



3. Saints (3): Entering a contract year – apparently back to full health – RB Alvin Kamara is a guy to watch … and one to draft for your fantasy lineup.



2. Ravens (2): What does QB Lamar Jackson, 2019’s MVP and recently voted league’s No. 1 player by his peers, do for an encore? Apparently strike downfield more. Should be something to behold.



1. Chiefs (1): Perhaps once regarded as a luxury pick, first-round RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire now looms as major key to repeat bid with Damien Williams opting out.



32/32 SLIDES

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Julian Edelman: New England Patriots have to ‘move on’ after Tom Brady’s departure

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