Julian Edelman found himself in Tom Brady’s doghouse early on in his career with the Patriots.

During a recent episode of his “Games With Names” podcast, Edelman — a former Super Bowl MVP who became one of Brady’s most reliable receivers in New England — recalled the growing pains of transitioning from college quarterback to NFL wideout after he was selected by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

“First pass ever from Tom, they put in a package with four receivers, a four-wide group. They gave me a play and — I’d never played receiver, but they created a package for me and they’re like, ‘Alright, Edelman, get in,'” he said.

Though Edelman “wanted to do something with” the ball once he caught it, things didn’t go according to plan.

“I run like a hook route and Tom darts it on me, and I tried to run before I had it ’cause I wanted to do something with it, dropped the ball. He [Brady] goes, ‘Catch the f–king ball, Julian,'” he remarked.

The sting of Brady’s words lingered in the immediate aftermath for Edelman, who said he “went home and cried.”

“I felt pretty sh-tty for like four days,” he continued. “It took me so long to earn his trust after that f–king play, it took me like three years to earn his trust back.”

Fortunately, Edelman and Brady were able to work out the kinks early on in their relationship and blossomed into one of the most prolific duos in the league, winning three Super Bowls together.

Edelman, 36, announced his retirement after the 2020 season. He spent the entirety of his career with the Patriots.

As for Brady, who has since followed in Edelman’s footsteps to NFL retirement, he played for the Patriots for 20 seasons before finishing his career with the Buccaneers.