The impact David Andrews made during his time with the New England Patriots was reflected by the congratulatory messages that flooded in from former teammates.

Andrews was showered with praise by those who shared the field with him over the course of his nine seasons with the Patriots as Andrews officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday.

The Patriots compiled the messages in a special video montage that was shared at Andrews’ retirement ceremony.

While Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Devin McCourty among other Patriots greats applauded Andrews’ contributions and wished him well, Tom Brady’s heartfelt message stood out above them all.

“David, congratulations my man. Welcome to the other side,” Brady said, as transcribed by MassLive’s Chris Mason. “You couldn’t have had a better career. You were not only a great teammate, but you were a champion. And playing that center position for our team all those years. As you know, the heart and soul of any great team is the offensive line, and you were the leader. You were right in the middle.”

Brady added: “I loved every minute with you. I loved being your quarterback. I’m with you every step of the way. You deserve this day. Congratulations.”

Brady and Andrews played four seasons together and helped bring two Super Bowl titles back to New England. Andrews missed Brady’s final season with the Patriots in 2019 due to a blood clot issue.

Andrews was a mainstay on New England’s offense line, though, starting 121 games.

Andrews was lauded for his leadership and earned the respect of his teammates, including Brady, to be named a captain eight times in his caree