Julian Edelman chides Tom Brady, Bucs over Cole Beasley signing

Edelman chides Tom Brady, Bucs for signing Cole Beasley over him originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Julian Edelman seems (mostly) at peace in Year 2 of his NFL retirement. But he still wants to feel wanted.

And with the Buccaneers lacking depth at wide receiver following Mike Evans‘ suspension, Edelman thought he might at least get a phone call from former New England Patriots teammate Tom Brady about reuniting in Tampa Bay.

Instead, the Bucs added 33-year-old slot receiver Cole Beasley to their practice squad, with the expectation that he could join the 53-man roster ahead of Week 3.

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“I don’t wanna talk about this,” Edelman said Tuesday night in his analyst role on Paramount Plus’ “Inside the NFL.” “They just signed Cole Beasley. I didn’t get a call. … I bet against Brady (in the Bucs’ Week 2 matchup against the New Orleans Saints) and then he signs Cole Beasley.

Is Edelman actually mad that the Bucs didn’t give him a call? We’re guessing he’s just putting on an act for entertainment purposes while taking a playful jab at his longtime friend in Brady. The 36-year-old also has insisted that if he did come out of retirement, he’d only play for the Patriots.

But Edelman is a fierce competitor, and we’d imagine at least part of him believes he could be a better slot option for Brady than Beasley, who released by the Buffalo Bills in March after his 10th NFL season.

Alas, we’ll likely never know how Edelman would fare playing with Brady in Tampa Bay — unless his itch doesn’t go away and the Bucs’ wide receiver injuries keep piling up.