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Julian Edelman is sick of the comparisons between Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers
"When it was [Brady’s] last year, he didn’t want the distraction of that."
Tom Brady’s credentials on the football field speak for themselves.
But while many have anointed Brady as the greatest football player of all time, the Patriots legend has continued to hear his name tossed out in comparisons with some of the other top signal-callers of his generation.
While some of the discourse surrounding Super Bowl LIX in February centered around Patrick Mahomes potentially challenging Brady’s title as the NFL’s greatest QB, Aaron Rodgers is another NFLer who has been compared to Brady.
It’s a discussion that former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman wants no part of — especially given how both legends closed out their respective careers.
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“You can’t even put those guys in the same sentence, because we didn’t know it was Tom Brady’s last year,” Edelman said during a recent appearance on FS1’s “The Herd With Colin Cowherd.” “When it was [Brady’s] last year, he didn’t want the distraction of that.
“He wanted to go out and play his best possible football that he could play the last year of his career without making it a distraction. Now, we know it’s [Rodgers’] last year — we’ve heard that before.”
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Unlike Brady — who didn’t officially announce his retirement (for good) from the NFL until after the 2023 season ended — Rodgers, 41, said on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” that the upcoming 2025 season will likely be his last after signing a one-year deal with the Steelers.
This potential farewell tour for Rodgers has spurred more discussions about the longtime Packers QB’s legacy in the NFL.
Even though Rodgers has won four MVPs over the course of his Hall-of-Fame career, he can’t come close to Brady when it comes to delivering in the postseason.
While Brady won seven Super Bowls, Rodgers has only won one Super Bowl, in 2011 with Green Bay.
Edelman doesn’t expect Rodgers to add another title to his resume in 2025 with Pittsburgh.
“I love Mike Tomlin, I love the culture, I love the defense, I like Arthur Smith. But how fast can they get that machine going?” Edelman said. “Aaron doesn’t know his teammates at all yet. Once again, he’s going into another year behind.
“I like the move. It’s the best thing for the Steelers right now. And Aaron, he’s going to a team that’s not terrible,” Edelman added. “If he wants to continue his football career, that’s awesome. He gets the opportunity to do it at one of the pillars of the National Football League — but do I think they’re going to win a Super Bowl? No, I don’t.”
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