When it comes to the football days of Julian Edelman there is one debate I will gladly entertain. Is he a Pro Football Hall of Famer? I believe so. Many don’t. It’s a polarizing topic, a source of intense discussion on the airwaves and in-person, and likely will be for years to come. But as far as the “Is Julian truly retired?” debate goes, the answer couldn’t be clearer; yes. Or maybe it’s easier to for people understand when stated this way; “No, Julian Edelman is not going to Tampa to reunite with Brady and Gronk.”
The storyline is sexy, if not almost to obvious. It’s a great headline, and was almost the first thing that came to everyone’s mind once news hit that the Patriots had terminated Edelman’s contract. A search of Twitter using the terms “Edelman Tampa” features thousands of tweets speculating that his retirement from the Patriots was but a precursor to his joining the Buccaneers.
And while it’s great for clicks (Thank you!) and sports radio, in reality it’s just not happening. Not this week. Not this summer. Not this summer. Not this fall. Not ever. This is both on the record and an opinion. The on the record portion comes from Edelman’s own retirement announcement last week. His wheels have fallen off. He has a degenerative condition in one of his knees. He just can’t do what he used to do anymore, and instead of grinding for diminishing returns or facing the ignominy of being a training camp cut he’s hung ‘em up.
The opinion portion comes from taking the man at his word, as well as putting the different pieces together, examining his career and circumstances versus that of Brady and Gronk. Sure, it makes all the sense in the world to jest that a reunion is inevitable. The trio got along famously and were unbelievably successful together. Jules should want to join his former teammates and have some fun, and make another Super Bowl run, down in Tampa, IF the Patriots released him. IF. That’s a mighty big if, because yes they did release him by terminating his contract, but that’s because he chose to stop playing football. You’d have to imagine Bill Belichick would love nothing more than to have Julian Edelman back on the Patriots for another year, IF hEdelman were physically able to. The way Belichick spoke so glowingly of Edelman last week. you’d have thought he was his own son. Seems Bill never minded how Edelman went about his business off the field, so long as he brought that relentless determination to the football field. Whereas the Brady/Belichick dynamic was, well, a bit more complicated, to put it mildly.
How Brady and Edelman ended their Patriots playing days couldn’t be any different, either. Amid all the speculation of if he would continue to play and if where, Brady stood on what’s now his former home field a little over a year ago in an ad for Hulu and said, “But me? I’m not going anywhere.” The ad was speculated over insanely for weeks. Was he staying with the Pats? Turns out it meant he wasn’t retiring, as he did in fact go somewhere, and that was to Tampa. Whereas Edelman sat on that field and said he’s done. No ifs, ands or buts. The end. Should be pretty cut and dry. Except for The Gronk Factor.
Gronk also retired from football way back in March 2019, only to un-retire thirteen months later for a chance to play alongside the only QB he said he wanted to catch passes from. Some, including yours truly, thought Gronk was done when he called it quits, seeing as he’d been injured seriously multiple times and was risking further damage to his already banged up frame if he returned to the field. He went out on top with a big catch in the biggest game, and it seemed like he had moved on to that public appearance and product endorsement life. But when opportunity called, and his body healed (thanks, Perry Antelman!) he couldn’t resist a chance to return to what he does best, without the specter of Belichick looming over him. Turns out he still had gas left in the tank, seeing as he caught two touchdowns from Brady in Super Bowl 55, and has signed on for another year in Tampa. His was a complicated relationship with Belichick, what with the 2018 almost trade to Detroit during a contract dispute. Edelman never had the same issues with Belichick that Brady and Gronk did. And while Gronk joked that there was a 69 percent chance Edelman would join him an Brady in Tampa it was a joke, nothing more, nothing less. Just Gronk being Gronk.
This January Edelman tweeted about how much the region and fanbase mattered to him, and how that all weighed on his mind when making decisions throughout his career. He embraced the idea of playing for one team from start to finish, and has made it so. Brady wanted to remain forever a Patriot himself, but he and Belichick saw things differently, it seemed. Edelman’s legacy is tied inextricably to that notion of loyalty, hence the “Foxboro Forever” tagline of his video and subsequent merchandising line. In fact you can wear his loyalty for just $59.99! Edelman learned so much about branding from his football best buddy, who’s become an international corporation unto himself. Brady continuing to play only furthers his brand. Edelman staying off the field he gave his all to for twelve years furthers his. If he were to come back and play with Brady at any point he would be labeled a traitor by the fans who bought his merch and believed in him. Pats fans would unite in their feelings of betrayal much more than any who have mixed emotions over Brady and Gronk in Tampa (present company included). All the good will he’s generated the past week and decade would be squandered faster than he converted a third and nine catch into a first down. Edelman is also keenly aware of the negative impact this would have on his legacy. Just see his April Fools Day tweet.
Oh, and as for media speculation that Edelman could use his newfound retirement to use banned substances and performance enhancing drugs to heal himself for said Tampa reunion? Not worth giving the time of day to. If Edelman’s dad, Frank, didn’t speak to Jules for almost three months after his PED suspension following his ACL recovery, imagine the family rift this could cause.
Julian Edelman is retired, for good. It has been a helluva story. But if you believe the man at his word, that story has been told. As to whether he belongs in Canton? That’s a different story all together.