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Not a lot of New England Patriots players have had the career Julian Edelman has had, and he’s about to be rewarded for it.
The team announced on Monday that Edelman will be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame this fall, with the former receiver getting the lion’s share of the fan votes over fellow finalists Adam Vinatieri and Logan Mankins.
For Edelman, he’ll forever remain an example for any late-round picks to follow. He was selected by the team in the seventh round (232nd overall) in 2009, with Georgia Tech defensive lineman Darryl Richard (234th overall) also selected by the club in that same final round two picks later.
There was some buzz about Edelman after he was drafted, with analysts pointing to two key metrics where he caught the attention of several teams including New England. He ran a 3.92 shuttle at his Pro Day, which was faster than any other time by any other player at the Combine that year. He also ran a 6.62 three-cone drill.
Edelman said back in 2023 that he worked out for Pittsburgh ahead of the draft, with the Steelers interested in potentially having him play defense. That was fitting given that Edelman would ultimately see time on that side of the football for the Patriots in 2011.
He said that his workout ahead of being selected by New England wasn’t easy, as they definitely made him work for it.
“I got worked out by the Steelers as a safety,” Edelman said during an appearance with Jason and Travis Kelce on the New Heights Podcast via SI.com’s Noah Strackbein. “The Patriots, man, they ran me through it all. They worked me out as a running back, defensive back, and wide receiver. They worked me out three times, and that was really unheard of, honestly. Every other workout outside of the Patriots and Steelers was as an athlete.”
But during his rookie season, it was receiver where Edelman made the most noise. Many saw a lot of similarities at the time from the former quarterback from Kent State, with then-wideout Wes Welker likely not realizing he was out there competing against a player who would one day replace him.
Reporters who were out there that year made the comparison on more than one occasion, with Edelman’s quickness and shiftiness being something that made everyone stop and do a double-take, given how similar the two players appeared.
Welker didn’t downplay it.
“Absolutely,” said Welker at the time via SI’s Ben Reiter when asked if the comparisons were accurate. “We have a lot of similarities. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was a rookie … He’s been a big eye-opener for a lot of guys here, and the way he’s been working and playing has been a great thing to see.”
The rookie went out and caught a team-high 5 passes on 5 targets for 37 yards in the preseason opener against the Eagles that year, four of which came from Brady and played a role in two touchdown drives.
But it was a play on special teams that made the most noise. With Welker unable to play due to an injury, Edelman stepped in and handled the punt return duties and a return in the second quarter was one that likely changed the trajectory of the young wideout’s career.
With the Patriots leading 7-3, the rookie took the Eagles punt 75-yards the other way for a touchdown, which led to Welker’s infamous exchange with Bill Belichick where he called over Welker, who was standing on the sideline in street clothes, and asked him, “You ever heard of Wally Pipp?”
“Uh, uh, no,” replied Welker, who smiled as Belichick spoke to him.
“Well, he played first base before [Yankees great] Lou Gehrig, then Lou Gehrig started whatever it was, 23,000 straight games.”
“Yeah … the little man?” answered Welker, referring to Edelman, who then realized where Belichick was going, and you could tell he was a little agitated over the question.
“That might be the punt return story,” replied Belichick.
“No doubt,” said Welker. “Hey, he can have it, man.”
“Oh, there you go,” said Belichick. “Way to compete…way to compete.” And he then ended the conversation and spoke to a coach as the team got ready for the next series.
Little did Welker know how real that would turn out to be. At the end of that season, he suffered a knee injury during the finale against the Houston Texans on a non-contact play, which happened after he appeared to jam it into the turf as he turned upfield.
Welker immediately dropped to the ground, and Edelman ended up having to step in and finish the game during his absence. Despite what ultimately turned out to be a 34-27 loss, Edelman still ended up answering the bell. Brady targeted him 15 times that afternoon, resulting in 10 receptions for 103 yards – double the number of catches by any other player, including Randy Moss (5 catches, 75 yards).
In 2011, the Patriots had a tough run when it came to injuries on the defensive side of the football, most notably in the secondary. That led to the club calling on Edelman to see snaps on defense, with the young wideout playing cornerback and finishing with what was arguably one of the most challenging seasons to date.
With an offense that had second-year tight end duo Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, along with wideouts Deion Branch and Welker, Edelman saw limited time on offense and caught just 4 passes for 34 yards that season. But on defense, he certainly stepped up in a big way.
He finished with 18 tackles including 13 solo and 5 assisted, and he also made a key play in the AFC Championship that year after also playing nearly half of the club’s snaps on offense in that game.
Having drawn the job of covering Anquan Boldin in that match-up, Edelman held his own and even forced a fumble on the Ravens’ final drive of the game, although the ball went out of bounds and Baltimore kept the football.
Fortunately, a 32-yard field goal attempt by kicker Billy Cundiff sailed wide left, and the Patriots held on to advance to the Super Bowl.
Boldin ultimately finished the game with 6 receptions for 101-yards, but Edelman actually made a few plays that helped prevent the Ravens wideout from being even more productive than he could have been, which could have tilted the game the other way.
Former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia actually talked about that game earlier this year on a Games with Names podcast with Edelman, noting how frustrated Boldin was to have Edelman on him, and he wanted then-Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco to feed him the football.
“Remember him yelling at Joe Flacco?” said Patricia. “‘Flacco, it’s F’n Julian Edelman. Throw me the ball!’ He was so mad.”
Edelman explained his strategy, saying that he just tried to play as physically as he could, and fortunately, it worked out.
“My strategy was, I wasn’t going to glove you up, but I was going to be around to tackle you, and it would be a contested style type catch,” said Edelman. “And I was going to grab you and try to cheat as far as I could and hit you.”
He also said, having been a receiver himself, he took advantage of a strategy he had to deal with that defensive backs often did to him, which he knew would frustrate Boldin.
“All I would do was hold for dear life for the first five yards,” said Edelman. “Because I knew guys hated it and then just play to your leverage.”
Oddly enough, in the same preseason game where Edelman made his debut in 2009, standing on the opposite sideline was Danny Amendola, who was with the Eagles for two seasons from 2008 to 2009.
When New England let Welker leave in free agency following the 2012 season, it was Amendola who the club turned to as his replacement.
That offseason also saw Edelman become a free-agent, and the signing of Amendola ended up being something that saw the young wideout nearly move on and sign with the Giants.
“I was hurt,” Edelman said during “Julian Edelman: A Football Life.” “I did everything [Belichick] said, gave four years of my life, and then they [signed Amendola]. I’m not going to lie, I was [expletive] off. I was like, ‘Dude, you’re coming to take my keys to the Cadillac? Dog, what’s going on? I’m over here on a minimum deal. This guy’s getting $34 [million]?'”
“Looking back on it, I had nothing. I [had done] nothing in the league. But as a kid, as a young guy, experiencing that for the first time, I was like, ‘[Expletive] Belichick. [Expletive] the Patriots. I hate everyone here. How are you going to do this to me?’ I took a visit to the New York Giants, and they offered me a contract.”
Instead, Edelman came back on a one-year deal that was incentive-laden, and all it did was add fuel to the fire. The Patriots added a little more not long after bringing Edelman back, with the club signing Pittsburgh’s Emmanuel Sanders to an offer sheet, which the Steelers ultimately matched.
In Edelman’s book “Relentless,” which was co-written by Tom Curran, he revealed one key point that changed everything.
Edelman came into camp still recovering from a foot injury, which limited him. It was a crowded group that year, with the team having drafted Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce to go along with Amendola’s addition. According to Edelman, Bill Belichick called him into his office to tell him that both Dobson and Boyce were making the team and that he needed to get out there and start practicing.
“We’ve got guys who are capable of playing,” Belichick told him. “You’ve got to show me what you’re capable of doing.”
After their meeting, Edelman wrote, “I wasn’t 100%, but I knew I was out of time. Like my dad says, you can’t snivel over it.” He also said that it motivated him.
“I felt like a cornered animal,” wrote Edelman. “I knew I had to fight my way out of it.”
Which is exactly what he did. Edelman came out with a vengeance, immediately establishing himself – not Amendola – as the player who would replace Welker in the offense.
It was clear he was focused heading into that season. With Amendola dealing with a hamstring injury during the preseason, Edelman made the most of it and ended up being the one who ultimately took over Welker’s role, and he was off and running.
The two started the opener against Buffalo, with Amendola finishing with 10 receptions for 104 yards, while Edelman snagged 7 passes for 79 yards, including two touchdowns. But Amendola re-aggravated the hamstring in that game, and with his teammate sidelined the next week, Edelman cemented himself even further in Week 2 against the Jets.
He caught 13 passes on 18 targets from Brady in that game for 78 yards, and then added 7 receptions for 44 yards the next week against the Buccaneers.
It was the start of a run that saw him finish with a team-high 105 catches for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns that season, along with a club-leading 16 receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown that postseason.
That began an incredible stretch for Edelman, who when healthy, was their most dangerous offensive weapon on the field, and he joined Gronkowski as the one-two punch that played a key role in their next three championships.
For Edelman and Amendola, the two went on to become great friends, with Amendola also coming alive when the lights came on in January and February.
Edelman’s clutch receptions and how tough he was to cover, especially when paired with Gronkowski, ultimately changed everything in New England’s offense. But when you consider how it all unfolded for Edelman to eventually become who he was, it only makes it that much more impressive.
The wins against both Seattle and Atlanta saw some incredible moments from Edelman. Against the Seahawks, he made an unbelievable play on a 3rd-and-14 trailing 24-14 in the fourth quarter, which extended the drive and led to a touchdown by Amendola. Edelman later hauled in the go-ahead touchdown on the next possession.
His ridiculous 23-yard fourth quarter catch against the Falcons is one for the ages, as it came with just over two minutes remaining, trailing 28-20. That got New England into Atlanta territory, which was capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by James white and a 2-point reception by Amendola.
And we all know how that one ended.
It’s certainly funny to look back and see how the guy who was supposed to be the answer New England needed in Amendola, ended up simply becoming a role player alongside the scrappy wideout from Kent State.
In the meantime, Edelman getting the recognition he deserves is definitely great to see, even if it means Adam Vinatieri might have to wait a little longer to one day join him. For now, #11 created more than enough memories to belong there, and he absolutely outworked a lot of guys along the way to earn the honor.
It was definitely “One Hell of a Story.”
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