It sounds as if we may have seen Julian Edelman in the NFL for the final time.
The Patriots released the veteran wide receiver on Monday with a “failed physical” designation. However, it sounds unlikely that Edelman will be entertaining offers from other teams. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported that the move could be a technicality as Edelman considers retirement.
While Julian Edelman showed up on today's transaction wire as having his contract terminated by the Patriots, Edelman has been mulling retirement and this could just be a precursor to that announcement.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) April 12, 2021
The news of Edelman’s release sparked a brief frenzy. Many thought it would open the door for him to reunite with Tom Brady, with whom Edelman is notoriously close. However, the wide receiver has dealt with chronic knee injuries in recent years, and only played in six games in 2020. There was some belief that even if he did play in 2021, he was likely to miss at least part of the season.
In 11 seasons with the Patriots, Edelman racked up 6,822 receiving yards and caught 36 touchdown passes. If this is it for the 34-year-old, his name will go down in franchise history as one of the most important players of his era.
Photo: Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia via CC-by-SA 3.0
