Julian Edelman reveals he almost played with Aaron Rodgers instead of Tom Brady

Julian Edelman made a name for himself with the New England Patriots over the course of the 2010s. Many would argue that without him, Tom Brady might have gotten at least one less Super Bowl ring.

However, the former wide receiver recently revealed that he was preparing to join Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers when Bill Belichick called. Speaking on the "New Heights" podcast, Edelman recounted the story:

"We made a decision if I were to go undrafted, I was gonna sign with probably the Packers because they didn't have any kind of slot guy and we're just looking for somewhere I could potentially make the team."

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He explained that his agent, who worked for Tom Brady at the time, heard that there might have been interest in his client:

"He goes, 'I deal with the Patriots a bunch. They made a seventh-round trade and they got a couple more picks. I'm not saying they're going to, but I wouldn't be surprised [if they drafted you].'

"I got a 508 [area code] call. They drafted me. Bill goes, 'Yeah, I don't know if you're gonna play, you're a good football player. See you tomorrow.'"

So, Aaron Rodgers might have gotten to throw passes to Julian Edelman instead of Tom Brady. One can only imagine how different the decade would have gone had Rodgers gotten an essentially free star to throw at in addition to the other weapons on his team.

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The implications of such a swap might have changed everything.

With Julian Edelman on the roster, would the Green Bay Packers have managed to hold off Russell Wilson in the NFC championship at the dawn of the 20-teens? Would Aaron Rodgers have been able to break through the NFC championship game in his three-year run of dominance preceeding the 2022 season?

The shape of the NFL might have molded differently based on that seventh-round selection.

Of course, the counter argument would be that perhaps Edelman wouldn't have popped in the same way for the Packers as he did with the New England Patriots. At this point, there is no way to find out.

In his career, Julian Edelman appeared in four Super Bowls and played 137 games for the Patriots. He earned 6822 receiving yards and caught 36 touchdowns in his career.

Edelman's time in the league ran from 2009 to 2020, after which he retired.

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If any of the above quotes are used, please credit New Heights and H/T Sportskeeda.