New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman has announced his retirement from the National Football League per his Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages on Monday afternoon.
First reports late Monday afternoon by ESPN said Edelmans contract was terminated by the Patriots and was listed as a failed physical, but the roster move is expected to technically be part of his retirement that was later announced by him on his social media accounts. The wide receiver spent his entire 12 year career with New England, and ranks second all-time in postseason receptions with 118 only behind Jerry Rice (151). He was selected in the seventh round in the 2009 NFL Draft (232nd overall) as a quarterback out of Kent State, but his ability to catch and run quickly turned him into a wide receiver/punt returner at the next level.
Edelman, who turns 35 next month, will finish his career second on the Patriots all-time receptions list with 620 (Wes Welker 672), and will finish fourth in all-time receiving yards with the organization behind Stanley Morgan, Rob Gronkowski, and Welker. He only played six games this past season due to a chronic knee injury. The Redwood, California native had 6,822 career receiving yards with 36 touchdowns with his best season coming in 2013 where he had 105 receptions for 1,056 yards and six scores. He won three Super Bowls in Foxborough, was a Super Bowl MVP of Super Bowl LIII in 2019, and was also named as part of the New England Patriots 2010s All-Decade Team.
