Julian Edelman will always be remembered as one of the greatest New England Patriots of all time, but the former wide receiver will not be the last to wear No. 11 with the team. He seems a bit upset by that.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported on Wednesday that the Patriots have assigned No. 11 to kicker Riley Patterson. Reiss noted that NFL teams don’t really retire numbers anymore except for exceptional cases, but the news still hit Edelman hard. He had a great reaction on Twitter:
https://t.co/3lRrhdBW9d pic.twitter.com/yhIX33PlEq
— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) October 20, 2021
Edelman was honored by the Patriots in a halftime ceremony earlier this season. He will undoubtedly be inducted into their Hall of Fame someday, but the only number the team is likely to retire in the near future is Brady’s No. 12. Edelman knows that.
We know from the awesome Bill Belichick story Edelman recently that he and the Patriots head coach still have a great relationship. That doesn’t mean Belichick has unofficially retired Edelman’s number. Sorry, Jules.
Photo: Sep 26, 2021; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Former New England Patriots Julian Edelman is honored during halftime against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
