Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski may no longer be catching passes together in Foxborough, but their chemistry has carried over seamlessly into the world of broadcasting.
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Gronkowski recently stepped into the studio full-time, replacing Jimmy Johnson on Fox NFL Sunday, while also co-hosting the Dudes on Dudes podcast alongside Julian Edelman for nearly a year now. Edelman, meanwhile, has become a fixture on FOX NFL Kickoff and hosts two podcasts: one with Gronk and the other, known as Games with Names.
Their broadcasting ventures seem to prove that their passion for the game and for entertaining fans didn’t die post-retirement. So recently, this vigour led the two Patriots legends to pitch Roger Goodell on a rather unusual idea: Wednesday Night Football.
Julian Edelman revealed on the latest edition of Games with Names that he and Gronk decided to float the proposal directly to the NFL commissioner, not behind closed doors, but in front of a live audience. “Me and Gronk pitched to Roger Goodell we should do Wednesday night games, and we would do like a streamcast of it,” the ex-NFL WR said.
The venue? Fanatics Fest, with around 500 fans in attendance. As Julian Edelman recalled, they essentially put the commissioner “on the spot.” And unsurprisingly, Goodell’s reaction didn’t stray past his usual diplomatic self. “[His response] was lukewarm,” Edelman recalled.
Rich Eisen, who was the episode’s guest, has worked with and for Roger Goodell for decades. Hence, he was able to add his own interpretation of what a lukewarm response means.
“That was a no. I think you got a soft no,” the longtime host said, drawing laughs. He explained further, “A hard no is a GTFO from RG. [What you got] was him basically saying, ‘Nice to see you, I’m a big fan of your work, but that’s a no,’” he added.
Hearing Eisen, Julian Edelman admitted that the NFL Commissioner did point out that Wednesday games have happened before, albeit under extraordinary circumstances.
Goodell, for instance, noted the COVID season and a holiday scheduling quirk as exceptions, with the 3x Super Bowl winner even reminding everyone that he once suited up on a Wednesday. Still, as Eisen summed it up, there’s a big difference between rare exceptions and building a new weekly tradition.
Moreover, the NFL’s scheduling realities also underline why the commissioner may have been so hesitant.
By law, the league avoids playing on Fridays and Saturdays to protect high school and college football attendance, leaving Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays as its main pillars. Even with the recent introduction of the Black Friday game and rare international slates, Wednesdays remain a long shot.
So while Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski’s proposal might have been met with only a “soft no,” the fact that they even dreamed it up reflects their commitment to growing the game, even if it’s now from behind the mic rather than between the lines.
