Patriots’ Julian Edelman ‘Campaigns’ for Tom Brady to Stay With Patriots Using New T-Shirt

Tom Brady’s future with the New England Patriots is unknown considering that he will be a free agent in March, but Julian Edelman is hoping that they remain on the same team. The Patriots’ wide receiver told basketball fans that Brady “is coming back” on Saturday night. He also released a new T-shirt campaigning for his quarterback’s return.

Edelman revealed his new design on Sunday morning with a post across his social media channels. This blue shirt featured the text “STAY” in large, block lettering, along with “Tom 2020.” The shirt also said “A quarterback you can trust,” as Brady’s campaign slogan.

As a small additional detail, Edelman’s shirt used a goat for the campaign logo instead of a donkey or elephant. The reason is that Brady is considered to be the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time) after winning the Lombardi Trophy six times in his career.

The 100 percent cotton shirt can be purchased on Edelman’s website for $29.99. Edelman wants to keep New England a “Tomocracy,” and the fans now have an idea of how much supporting this goal will cost.

“Please keep doing what your doing to get Tom to stay. Send Tom a shirt! Dont let him go please!!!! WE NEED TOM BRADY!!!! #StayTom,” one Patriots fan wrote on Twitter.

The majority of responses to Edelman’s post called for the longtime quarterback to return to the team that originally drafted him in 2000.

There are some concerns among Patriots fans, especially after Brady gave a “questionable smile” to the camera during a Syracuse-North Carolina basketball game on Saturday night. The two NFL stars were sitting next to talk show host Jimmy Fallon when Edelman said “he’s coming back, he’s coming back” in reference to Brady. The veteran quarterback shook his head and said something in response.

While the exact quote is unknown, there were some fans that guessed Brady had said: “he’s not.” Although this was purely a guess by users on social media.

With the new league year starting on Mar. 18, the answer about Brady’s future likely will not be provided for some time. Free agency technically begins with the “legal tampering” period on March 16, which means that agents of pending unrestricted free agents can negotiate with potential teams. They can’t officially sign contracts until 4 p.m. ET on March 18.

(Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)