When Julian Edelman pranked everyone with April Fool's joke of signing with Tom Brady's Buccaneers

Tom Brady’s move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was accompanied by tight end Rob Gronkowski and the retirement of wide receiver Julian Edelman, a trio that formed the core of the Patriots' offense. With Brady and Gronkowski joining the Bucs in 2021, fans hoped Edelman could come out of retirement soon and join his former teammates.

For months, Julian Edelman teased this until one fine day, he conveyed the rejoicing news to the Bucs fans — or at least what they thought.

A fan account named ML Football shared a throwback post from 2022 when Edelman pranked the Bucs fans with a hilarious April Fool's Day prank.

“THROWBACK: Julian Edelman's viral prank in 2022 that he was leaving New England and signing with the #Buccaneers and Tom Brady. 😭😭😭 Jules fooled a lot of people.”

Edelman wrote, “Onto the next chapter” while announcing his "signing" with the Bucs using the NFL’s official template, but a cautionary asterisk at the bottom that read, ‘april fools.’

Edelman had pulled a similar prank on the Bucs fans a year prior when he shared a GIF from the popular movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ with the quote, “It’s a pirate’s life for me, savvy.” He left it on the internet, leading to speculation about his new transfer since the Bucs logo featured a Pirates flag and logo. However, Edelman soon dismissed the report, calling it a ruse on April 1.

Although the move might have rubbed some salt on the Bucs fans, they took it as a joke since Brady, Edelman and Gronkowski often have fun using their social media. Moreover, the trio would often joke about Edelman’s new destination post-retirement.

Julian Edelman explained why he didn't join Tampa Bay Buccaneers

During an episode of the "Dudes on Dudes" podcast in October, Edelman and Gronkowski discussed the lost opportunity. However, Edelman clarified his stance on retirement that he isn’t calling it back like Gronkowski and Brady. Moreover, he called himself a one-team man, playing for the Patriots throughout his career.

“I had to go down with the ship, buddy,” Edelman said. “I had to go down with the (expletive) damn ship. Have you seen ‘Titanic'? You know the old captain? You know the violin guy?”

Besides his emotional sentiment, Edelman had a legitimate knee injury that prompted him to retire early. He missed the final 10 games of his career after undergoing knee surgery. So, he had to put his health first and retire in peace.