Julian Edelman reveals why Tom Brady’s TB12 method left him unconvinced - “He’d get so mad at me”

Julian Edelman claims to have tried out Tom Brady's infamous TB12 method when the two of them played together. The issue is that Edelman apparently didn't fully buy into the way that Brady didn't want him to.

The wide receiver claims this caused some friction between him and his quarterback, as they had differing philosophies on a training regiment.

The situation was a topic of discussion during a recent episode of the "Games With Names" podcast. Edelman talked about how it all went down with comedian Sam Morril and MLB player Hunter Pence.

Here's what Edelman had to say:

"So I would do a lot of the TB12 stuff, but I wouldn't go b*lls deep. You know like, I'm not just doing this and this only, because I had a different opinion. I needed to have muscle mass on me because I'm an explosive athlete.

"I'm not taking seven, eight step drops and then delivering a football. Very hard, can't do it, and they get murdered in the pocket. I understand, but when you're exploding in and out of cuts, you got to work those kinds of things.

"And you know, nothing like a squat. A squat is what ultimately works you the best. And he would get so mad at me because it does leave you vulnerable to getting hurt in the weight room. But you know, you got to do business as business is being done. I need that squat."

Julian Edelman playfully referenced his strategy as the JE11 Method, poking a bit of fun at the TB12 Method. While Tom Brady was apparently concerned that Edelman would get hurt if he didn't follow his routine, the wide receiver makes a great point about the physical demands of their differing positions.

Ironically, in the end, it was a cumulation of injuries that may have ended Julian Edelman's career a bit sooner than if he were healthy. Maybe Tom Brady was right about his intensive TB12 Method after all.

Why did Julian Edelman retire from NFL?

Julian Edelman

Julian Edelman has often referenced his chronic knee issues when discussing his reasons for retirement from the New England Patriots. He also used the same reasoning when shutting down previous rumors that he could potentially come out of retirement and join Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The most serious injury Edelman suffered during his NFL career was a grade-three ACL tear in his right knee in 2017. He apparently never fully overcame the surgery and recovery process.

This eventually lead to several follow-up procedures, as well as multiple patella sprains in the same knee. It ultimately convinced him to retire in 2021, despite being highly productive when healthy on the football field.