They say if you say something enough you can will it into existence. Julian Edelman wants you to know that won’t be the case as far as him returning to football in New England, or in Florida.
Appearing last week on The Pat McAfee Show, the former Patriots receiver spoke to a number of Patriots-related topics. But of primary interest to Pats fans, as far as Edelman pulling a Gronk and coming out of retirement only to join his former QB?
“I appreciate Tom," Edelman said. "He’s the hand that fed me for a long time...but I’m done, boys.”
Edelman offered some insight into his abilities now after multiple injuries and surgeries and how all the work he’d need just to try and make a play wouldn’t be worth it.
“I don’t wanna put that product out there," he said. "That’s not me. I respect the game too much. I don’t wanna look like an old guy ... [because] I know the level I played at for a long time.”
“It’s a whole other level that you have to be in," added the three-time Super Bowl champion. "And you gotta be in a zone for maybe five plays a game if you’re gonna be this utility guy, or this guy that comes in on third down, and I need to be in. I need to be bangin’ my head! I need to block. ... I need to go hit a linebacker. I need to go get smacked over the middle.”
McAfee, a former Pro Bowl punter for the Colts who retired from the NFL after only eight seasons, asked Edelman about the knee that forced him to hang it up?
“Just like with most guys that have knee problems, I’m bone-on-bone," Edelman said.
Back to the headline and those Tampa ”rumors," while there’s never been any direct connection between Edelman and the Buccaneers, the speculation is obvious.
“I think everybody just assumed he’s gonna go down to Tampa [because] Tom’s playing till he’s [expletive] 50," McAfee said.
After the success Brady and Gronk had in Tampa last season, winning a Super Bowl while the Patriots had their first losing season in 20 years, Edelman mostly a spectator in his injury-marred final season, one can understand the angst in Pats Nation. But the former slot receiver did his best to help his fans rest easier on the matter.
“It’s Foxboro Forever. We just stay there. That’s where we live," he said.
To hear the two discuss Edelman’s injuries, his future, life after Brady and much more in a fun, unfiltered forum, check out the full interview on The Pat McAfee Show on YouTube.
