Former Patriots WR, three-time Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman retires
After more than a decade with the team that included three Super Bowl wins, former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman’s time in the NFL has come to an end.
Per The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots “terminated” Edelman’s contract, listing a “failed physical” as the reasoning behind the move.
Shortly therafter, Edelman took to Twitter to officially announce his retirement in a video, complete with the caption “Foxboro Forever.”
“I always said I’m going to go until the wheels come off, and they’ve finally fallen off,” Edelman said. “Due to an injury last year, I’ll be making my official announcement of my retirement from football.”
Edelman missed time during the 2020 regular season due to a knee injury, and has a history of knee issues from earlier in his career, as well. He missed the entirety of the 2017 season after tearing his ACL in his right knee in a preseason game.
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Edelman will undoubtedly find his way into the Patriots Hall of Fame when the time comes, considering the immense impact he had on the franchise.
Over the span of 11 regular seasons, Edelman accumulated 620 receptions for 6,822 yards, hauling in 36 touchdowns along the way. Only three of those 11 regular seasons saw him play throughout the entire 16-game schedule.
In nine postseasons, Edelman caught 118 passes for 1,442 yards, with five receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown to his name. One of those catches will go down as one of the most important in Super Bowl history, as Edelman showed off his quick reflexes for an acrobatic grab against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
He earned Super Bowl MVP honors during the Patriots’ Super Bowl LIII win against the Los Angeles Rams, and caught the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks.
Edelman also has one of the most infamous passing touchdowns in Patriots postseason history, connecting with Danny Amendola on a double pass in the 2014 Divisional Round against the Baltimore Ravens.
According to WEEI’s Ryan Hannable, Brady told The Greg Hill Show in 2019 that Edelman will “be in in the Patriot Hall of Fame, and he could be a Pro Football Hall of Famer at some point, too.”
“What he’s accomplished in his career is nothing short of spectacular,” Brady said.
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