Julian Edelman has officially retired from the New England Patriots. Edelman made his decision official via a video on Twitter.
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Julian Edelman officially retires. https://t.co/BfAdpv0s97
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 12, 2021
Edelman was nothing short of thankful in his retirement speech, and you could see the surge of emotions he was going through as he spoke.
Edelman served as a wide receiver (and much more) for the Patriots from 2009-2020. In those 12 years, he won three Super Bowls and racked up a Super Bowl MVP. He never made a Pro Bowl, but he’s best remembered for his time in the playoffs.
He finishes his career ranking second all-time in postseason receiving yards, and it was his performance in Super Bowl 53 that lifted the Pats past the Rams in a defensive showdown.
Why Did Julian Edelman Retire?
The decision to retire was not an easy one for Edelman to have made. He was a warrior for the Patriots as he played through every big hit and took every shot to his body. However, he finally wore down as his age caught up to him.
Edelman played only six games in the 2020 NFL season due to knee pain and knee swelling. As the Patriots terminated his contract, reports came out that Edelman’s knee issues had been occurring for a long time.
During the 2020 offseason, Edelman would go through a knee scope to try and fix his problems. To add on, he also underwent surgery to replace an AC joint in his shoulder.
In fact, his knee injuries extend back to the 2019-20 NFL season. Even though Edelman still played well that year, there was a lot he was dealing with. Ultimately, it was this knee issue that forced Edelman to retire as he mentioned in his video. Edelman said this earlier:
It was a rough year when it came to just my physicality and how I felt.
He finished with career lows in receptions (21) and receiving yards (315), and he was never properly activated onto the Pats 53-man roster. Thus, his decision to retire becomes clearer by the minute.
Edelman will surely go down as a legend in Foxboro and the New England Patriots. After all, he made one of the biggest and most unforgettable catches in Super Bowl history:
Julian Edelman is an ultimate story in hard work and development. A college QB turned WR with time spent at CB & punt returner.
He also has the second-most catches and yards in NFL postseason history.
And he’s the author of one of the great catches in Super Bowl history. pic.twitter.com/XiIxlpdiZN
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 12, 2021
Going from a seventh round pick to a Super Bowl MVP, Edelman’s career is something to admire and respect. He’ll forever be remembered as a Patriots great and an NFL legend.
Bill Belichick Has High Praise For Edelman In His Official Statement
Of course, Patriots head coach Belichick had a lot to say about his former wide receiver. He coached throughout his entire tenure in New England, and saw first hand how great Edelman was. Here is Belichick’s official statement:
Bill Belichick’s statement on “the ultimate competitor”, Julian Edelman. pic.twitter.com/8pdZybjEyj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 12, 2021
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