Julian Edelman was a huge part of the New England Patriots dynasty alongside Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. The wide receiver won three Super Bowls during his career and was named the Super Bowl MVP when the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, in Super Bowl LIII.
Edelman officially retired in 2021 after he played only six games the previous season due to injuries. In a recent conversation on the “Games with Names” podcast, the Patriots legend revealed that COVID played a part in his retirement.
Julian Edelman Discusses COVID’s Role in His Retirement
Edelman’s last game in the NFL was against the San Francisco 49ers. He suffered a knee patella sprain and underwent a procedure to address a chronic knee injury, which landed him on injured reserve and resulted in him missing the rest of the season.
“We lost this game to the Niners, I’m pissed, and I have like three people in my ecosystem, my best friend and my girlfriend at the time. Before we could hang out, they’d have to get COVID tested,” said Edelman about the situation. “Then they would sit in a hotel until we got the results, and if they were clear, we were all allowed to hang out. So I rented out a movie theater to watch Tenet, my girlfriend at the time came, and I got COVID, and that’s why this was my last game.”
“I had an injury in this game that was killing me continually. I tore the root of my meniscus, but then I got COVID, and I couldn’t have any physical therapy for 12 days, and my knee blew up so bad that I couldn’t get it back to get back in.”
“I tore the root of my meniscus and then I got Covid… I couldn’t have any physical therapy for 12 days! And my knee blew up so bad that I could never get it back”@Edelman11 explained that getting Covid after watching Tenet ultimately led to his decision to retire: pic.twitter.com/sm0KHIBhMj
— Games with Names (@gameswithnames) November 1, 2024
When Brady and Gronkowski played together for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there were constant rumors about Edelman reuniting with them on the field. Unfortunately, Edelman’s injuries took a toll on him, and ultimately, he could not play football again.
He currently works as an analyst for Fox Sports alongside Gronkowski and is often seen on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” The former Patriots star’s post-retirement life is also spent in the limelight. In addition to his media duties, he has two successful podcasts: “Games with Names” and “Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules.”
A Look Back at Edelman’s Career
The Patriots drafted Edelman in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL and transitioned from a punt returner to one of the best postseason receivers in league history.
In 11 seasons with the Patriots, Edelman played 137 games and had 620 receptions for 6,822 yards and 36 touchdowns, averaging 11.0 yards per reception. He also had 177 punt returns for 1,986 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 11.2 yards per return.
He played 19 playoff games during his career and had 118 receptions for 1,442 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 12.2 yards per reception and 75.9 receiving yards per game. Edelman is ranked only behind Jerry Rice and Travis Kelce when it comes to most receptions in the history of the NFL playoffs.
As mentioned earlier, he won Super Bowl MVP when the Patriots defeated the Rams 13-3 in February 2019. He finished that game with 10 receptions for 141 yards on 12 targets. Given his stellar body of work in both the regular season and postseason, Patriots fans will forever remember Edelman for his contributions.