Yahoo Sports spoke with the former NFL star to find out why he refused to join the team even if he came back, and which of today’s star quarterbacks he would and wouldn’t play with. in addition,.
video transcript
Kevin Chestnut: If you could come out of retirement and choose any of these young quarterbacks to play with, besides the Patriots, who would it be?
Julian Edelman: Joe Burrow is an interesting guy. I’m just saying that because he’s a linebacker, sits in the pocket, is a pass-catching type of guy. As a receiver, you rely on a quarterback wanting to sit back and pass the ball.
Now, Patrick Mahomes, he’s reached that level as well. But he can improvise. He can do things with his legs – I don’t want my quarterback to run. I want him to throw strictly. That’s why I love Tom Brady, he’s not going anywhere. He must——
Kevin Chestnut: nowhere.
Julian Edelman: -Throw the football. The more footballs he hands out, the more balls he catches, and the more Frito-Lay and Pepsi ads you see. So now, I’m probably going to go with Joey B., even though one performance that week, he didn’t — he didn’t do training camp and we all know Joey B. didn’t do training camp.
He never attended training camp. Last year he had problems with his abdomen, where his appendix came out. He had some things the year before, like, we know Joey B. got off to a slow start. He will start picking it up. This is the Joe Burrow I want to play with.
Kevin Chestnut: Obviously, you and Tom Brady make a cameo at the end of the commercial. New York has an opening at quarterback. If Tom Brady comes back to replace Aaron Rodgers, will you, Julian Edelman, come back and join your kids?
Julian Edelman: I can’t play for the Jets.
Kevin Chestnut: why not? Isn’t it green? Isn’t it green?
Julian Edelman: cannot. Can’t play with the Jets. I mean, I worked in New York for two years. I – I’m always moving around. All the Jets fans, they’re always very respectful. They said, Edelman, we hate you, but we respect your game. They would shout – all the workers and others, and the police. Like, but I can’t play for the Jets, man. I just can’t do it.
Kevin Chestnut: Tell me about sponsorship and the whole unretirement thing. Tell me everything. I would like to know.
Julian Edelman: It was a cool concept and my agent introduced me to some old legends –
– Man, I wish I was out there.
– Let’s not retire.
Julian Edelman: – Try playing it. They think they’re still fired up because they’re all fired up now that football season is back.
(Eminem, “Without Me”) Guess who’s back, back again?
I was like, I’m in, yeah. They said, hey, you’re going to do something with Tom. I said, hey, yeah, man, you know I love doing things with Tom.
Tom Brady: Not retiring? Who would be stupid enough to do that?
Julian Edelman: I said, sign me up. And then, oh, Frito-Lay and Pepsi? I said, check it out. It was a great experience. The results are incredible. It’s fun, it’s fun. You know, it was a fun day that Tom and I spent together.
It reminds me of when we were back – working together in New England between takes, talking shit, talking about football, or talking about family, and then getting back to work, like we did after the walkthrough when we were stocking up in the cabinet. Like, it brings a lot of the same juice, it brings a lot of the same juice. Yes, it was an interesting experience.