After having his contract terminated by the New England Patriots, wide receiver Julian Edelman officially announced his retirement from the NFL.
NFL fans were stunned on Monday afternoon to receive the news that wide receiver Julian Edelman had his contract terminated by the New England Patriots with a failed physical designation. Just as the talk of where Edelman would sign next began trickling in, reports indicated that the slot wide receiver was expected to retire from the NFL in the future. Fans did not have to wait long for Edelman’s official announcement.
Edelman tweeted out a nearly four-minute clip of himself sitting in a chair at midfield of an empty Gillette Stadium, looking around while listening to audio clips of his highlights throughout his 11-year career. The wideout brought up that he would play until the wheels fell off, and the wheels have fallen off after suffering a knee injury last season. Edelman thanked Patriots owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick, his teammates, and everyone in the organization before “beaming up” out of the stadium.
Julian Edelman announces his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons
Edelman only played in six games last season before undergoing knee surgery, which effectively ended his season. The wideout’s best outing came in a Week 2 thriller against the Seattle Seahawks, where he caught eight passes for 179 yards on 11 targets from quarterback Cam Newton.
Edelman’s knee obviously did not heal up like he had hoped, and he decided that it was in his best interest to retire from the game.
Through his 11 years as a Patriot, Edelman recorded 620 receptions for 6,822 yards and 36 touchdowns on 941 targets in 137 regular season games. In nine playoff runs with the Patriots, Edelman tallied 118 catches for 1,442 yards and five touchdowns. Edelman leaves the NFL with three Super Bowl championships and the Super Bowl 53 MVP for his 10 reception, 141 yard performance in New England’s 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
With Edelman hanging up his cleats for good, the Patriots will now have a receiving corps headlined by free agent acquisitions Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. With this news, you have to imagine the Patriots targeting a wide receiver at some point during the 2021 NFL Draft.
Edelman said it best, he will be remembered by those fans who attend Patriots in Foxborough, Mass. “forever.”