“Tom Brady is Tom Brady. He was a sixth-round draft pick… He just cares about winning the next game,” Julian Edelman once said, perfectly summarizing his former QB’s relentless mentality. But when Tom Brady traded pigskin for pucks last week, even Edelman couldn’t resist tossing a friendly grenade into their legendary bromance.

The NFL’s ultimate power duo—Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champ, and Edelman, the squirrelly slot receiver turned three-time champ—have always thrived on playful chaos. So when Brady posted a video hyping Team USA Hockey ahead of the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off final, skating awkwardly in full gear to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird,” Edelman pounced. On his Instagram Story, he quipped: “Stick to cleats, bubs.” Four words. Zero mercy. Classic Edelman.

Brady and Edelman’s bond is the stuff of NFL lore—like Jordan and Pippen if Pippen roasted Jordan’s baseball career daily. They’ve shared too many iconic moments: the 2014 “Minitron” TD pass vs. Baltimore, the Helmet Catch 2.0 in Super Bowl LI, and that time Edelman called himself Brady’s “punching bag” during film sessions. “He’d be like, ‘Julian, you’re trash!’ And I’d be like, ‘I know!’” Edelman laughed on Games With Names.

But beneath the zingers lies mutual respect. When Edelman retired, Brady gushed: “I am so proud of you… You have so many teammates who admire your work ethic, and I am at the top of the list.” Translation: ‘You’re my ride-or-die, even when you roast my skating.’

Brady’s ice show: A playful gambit for Team USA

Let’s rewind. There’s Brady, 47, clomping around the ice like a newborn giraffe in skates, grinning through a mock face-off with NHL legend Tie Domi. The caption? “HERE WE GO! @tie_domi @usahockey.” His attempt at a slapshot? Let’s just say it won’t dethrone Alex Ovechkin. But hey, the man did scream, “Go TEAM USA, LET’S GO BOYS YOU GOT IT!” like he was down 28-3 again. Gotta respect the hustle.

Brady’s viral moment wasn’t just cringe—it was strategic cringe. By leaning into his hockey awkwardness, he rallied fans for Team USA like a pro. Sure, his edgework needed work (“Bro’s feet move smoother in Uggs,” joked one fan), but the vibe? Immaculate. The Patriots’ dynasty was built on Brady’s obsession with details, but here, he embraced the mess—skating like a dad at a kid’s birthday party while Domi, a man with 102 career NHL fights, probably wondered if Brady’s next move was a QB sneak.

Meanwhile, Edelman—now a FOX Sports analyst and podcast king—couldn’t resist trolling his “punching bag” buddy. Their bond? Think Ted Lasso meets Step Brothers. Edelman once admitted Brady recruited him to Tampa Bay with a text: “You want to come down?” His reply? “Uh, absolutely not.” This time, the jab was shorter, sharper, and 100% Edelman: equal parts love and “I’m gonna need you to sit down, sir.”

While Brady’s hockey skills stayed firmly in the “adorable try-hard” zone, Team USA’s actual players brought fire to the 4 Nations Face-Off finale. The showdown against Canada? Let’s just say it had more drama than The Last Dance.

After a nail-biting 3-2 OT loss, where Connor McDavid (aka “Hockey’s Usain Bolt”) buried the winner, America’s group chat probably blew up with Brady’s “LET’S GO BOYS” on loop. The U.S. fought hard—Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson scored, goalie Connor Hellebuyck stood on his head—but Canada’s Jordan Binnington (31 saves) played like he’d chugged three Red Bulls pre-game.

Brady’s antics might’ve been the pre-game meme fuel, but the game itself? Pure cinema. Picture this: TD Garden roaring, U.S./Canada tensions higher than a Gronk spike, and Brady somewhere texting Edelman, “You seeing this??” Cue Julian, smirking: “Told ya to stick to cleats.”

Brady’s hockey hustle may not earn him an NHL deal (yet), but it did give us two gifts: 1) a reminder that GOATs can be gloriously bad at new things, and 2) Edelman’s A+ trolling. As Brady would say, “You gotta be willing to suck to get better.”So here’s to TB12’s wobbly edges, Team USA’s silver medal tears, and Julian Edelman—forever the king of clapbacks. Because really, what’s friendship without a little playful chaos? Mic drop. 🏈❄️