Before Julian Edelman was catching passes from Tom Brady during the season and hanging with him at the Kentucky Derby after the season, the wide receiver was pretending to be the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
Edelman was in eighth grade at the time, but now, nearly two decades later, he's not only playing alongside Brady, he's part of one of the most successful teams in NFL history.
"I'm a product of the late '80s, early '90s, the Bill Walsh era at the San Fransisco 49ers -- so being a Patriot in a town like Boston reminds me of that golden era of football," Edelman said in the July issue of Augustman magazine, via WEEI.com. "I remember being in eighth grade and pretending to be Tom Brady at recess and now I am teammates and friends with Tom Brady. We held up the Vince Lombardi trophy together. So yea, playing for the New England Patriots has been my greatest achievement, it has been the highlight of my life no doubt."
Edelman also talked about what it means to live in Boston.
"Becoming a Bostonian has been unbelievable. It has been an incredible place to live and play a sport I love. Boston is a gritty, tough town and a perfect match for me coming from a blue-collar, humble background myself. I love that in Boston the year isn't broken up by seasons, like fall and summer. It's broken up by sport: basketball season, football season, hockey season and baseball season. Think about it, other big market cities like San Francisco or Los Angeles or New York have other industries. They have tech and real estate and Hollywood and fashion. Boston has sports, that's it."
When Edelman isn't on the receiving end of Brady passes, he can be found either making fun of or lobbying on behalf of his quarterback, who is currently facing a four-game suspension for his involvement in the Deflategate silliness.
