Patriots Legendary WR Unretiring? 'We'll See ... Foxboro Forever'
If Tom Brady can unretire, why not ... Julian Edelman?!
The New England Patriots legendary receiver is likely just teasing us, but last weekend he dropped a hint about a return to the NFL. At the Sunset Sports Media Festival in Zadar, Croatia, the former Super Bowl MVP fanned the flames of his own unretirement talk.
“I don’t know, we’ll see,” Edelman said when asked if he’ll return to play in the NFL with his former teammate-turned-Buccaneer Brady. "That’s called a little teaser. We’ll see. We’re staying in shape but you never know. But I’d probably go back to the Patriots. I love the Patriots. Foxboro Forever.”
As the Patriots - who have already given Edelman's old No. 11 to newcomer DeVante Parker - scramble to find an elite receiver(s) for their 2022 roster, even a hint of the return of the diminutive dynamo has Patriot Nation titillated. Desperate for a No. 1 receiver for second-year quarterback Mac Jones, this offseason New England has traded for Parker, drafted Tyquan Thornton, re-signed Jakobi Meyers and signed former New Orleans Saints free agent Lil' Jordan Humphrey.
Edelman, who officially announced his retirement in April 2021, has spent the last season as an analyst on Showtime's "Inside the NFL" and comically impersonating New England coach Bill Belichick.
The 36-year-old spent the first 11 of his 12 NFL seasons playing alongside Brady in New England, where the quarterback-receiver duo won three Super Bowls together. Their bromance on and off the field was beloved by fans in Foxboro, and the pair has remained close.
Brady last year joked about Edelman being a free agent, which sparked speculation that he’d join the quarterback in Tampa Bay — just like former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who came out of retirement to reunite with Brady in Tampa in 2020. Edelman, though, twice shut down the idea and maintained that he has no regrets over his decision. He played only six games in 2020 due to a chronic knee injury, which ultimately led to his decision to retire.
Nonetheless, Edelman’s latest comments in Croatia — at the 2022 Weekend Media Festival with Hall-of-Fame linebacker Ray Lewis — will surely ignite intrigue in New England.
