Julian Edelman
Julian Francis Edelman is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League for 12 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Kent State Golden Flashes as a quarterback and was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft by the Patriots, where he transitioned to a return specialist and wide receiver. Edelman became a primary offensive starter in 2013 and was a staple of the Patriots' receiving corps until his retirement after the 2020 season.
One of the NFL's most productive postseason receivers, Edelman ranks third in postseason receiving yards and receptions; he holds the Super Bowl records for punt returns and first-half receptions in a single game. A three-time Super Bowl winner, he was the receiving yards leader during his victories in Super Bowl XLIX and Super Bowl LIII. Edelman was named MVP of the latter, accounting for more than half his team's receiving yards.
Early life
Edelman was born in Redwood City, California, to Angela and Frank Edelman, a mechanic who owns A-1 Auto Tech. He has two siblings, Jason and Nicole. Edelman was raised as a Christian but has experienced what he described as a "Jewish awakening." In an NFL Network interview in December 2013, Edelman said that he was Jewish and celebrated Hanukkah. His mother was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, to German parents who had lived in Belgium.Edelman played varsity football and baseball at Woodside High School in Woodside, California. He was extremely small as a freshman, weighing under before his growth spurt. Edelman was the quarterback for his high-school team, and as a senior, he led the Wildcats to a 13–0 record in 2004. In high school, Edelman threw for 2,237 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushed for 964 yards and 13 touchdowns.
College career
After high school, Edelman spent a year attending the College of San Mateo, where he threw for 1,312 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for a school-record 1,253 yards and 17 touchdowns. Edelman then transferred to Kent State University, where he majored in business management. At Kent State, Edelman was a three-year starter at quarterback. As a senior, Edelman was the Golden Flashes' leading passer, completing 153-of-275 passes for 1,820 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He was also their leading rusher, gaining 1,370 yards on 215 attempts and scoring 13 touchdowns. Edelman's total offense broke Joshua Cribbs's single-season school record, which was set in 2003.College statistics
Professional career
Edelman was not invited to the 2009 NFL Combine. At his March 12 Pro Day, Edelman ran the short shuttle in 3.92 seconds; the fastest time at the Combine that year was 3.96 seconds.2009 season
The New England Patriots, who had conducted private workouts with Edelman before the 2009 NFL draft, selected him with the 27th pick of the seventh round, ahead of Michigan State quarterback Brian Hoyer, who joined the Patriots as a free agent. Several analysts suggested that the Patriots may have selected Edelman for his potential in a Wildcat formation; when the pick was made, Edelman was announced as a wide receiver.On July 16, 2009, Edelman signed a four-year contract with the Patriots that included a $48,700 signing bonus. Edelman later stated that he knew he lacked the ability to make an NFL roster as a quarterback, so he prepared himself to play at positions other than quarterback before the draft. The BC Lions placed Edelman on their "negotiation list," a list of American players for which they have exclusive negotiating rights, and offered him a three-year, incentive-heavy contract to play quarterback.
On August 13, 2009, in a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Edelman returned a punt 75 yards, and he made the team over former Eagles wide receiver Greg Lewis, for whom the Patriots had given up a fifth-round draft pick in 2009.
Edelman missed the season-opener against the Buffalo Bills due to an ankle injury, but he made his first career start in the Patriots' 16–9 loss in Week 2 against the New York Jets, which was also the first game Wes Welker had missed since becoming a Patriot in 2007. Edelman led all receivers with eight receptions for 98 yards and added 38 yards on two kickoff returns and two yards on a punt return, for a total of 138 all-purpose yards.
Edelman broke his arm in the Patriots' Week 6 59–0 rout of the Tennessee Titans, and did not accompany the Patriots on their trip to London to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the time of his injury, Edelman was leading all rookies that season with 21 receptions. He returned with the Patriots' Week 10 game against the Indianapolis Colts, scoring his first official NFL touchdown on a nine-yard reception from Tom Brady.
When Welker was sidelined for the season after tearing two knee ligaments against the Houston Texans, Edelman was again called on to fill Welker's role; Edelman caught 10 of the 15 passes thrown to him for 103 yards, the first 100-yard game of his NFL career. Edelman finished the regular season with 37 receptions for 359 yards and a touchdown. He also made six punt returns as well as 11 kickoff returns, gaining 304 yards in all on 17 returns.
In the Patriots' Wild Card Round playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Edelman caught six passes from Brady for 44 yards, including both of the Patriots' touchdowns. He became the first rookie to score two receiving touchdowns in one postseason game since David Sloan did so for the Detroit Lions in the 1995 season.
2010 season
In the 2010 season, Edelman saw a decrease in playing time; through 15 games, he had four receptions for 14 yards. In the Week 17 game against the Miami Dolphins, with Welker, Deion Branch, and Aaron Hernandez inactive, Edelman capitalized with three receptions for 72 yards and a 94-yard punt return touchdown. It was the first punt return touchdown by a Patriot in the regular season since Troy Brown returned one against the Carolina Panthers in the Week 17 of the 2001 season, and the longest punt return in Patriots franchise history, eclipsing an 89-yard return by Mike Haynes in 1976.Edelman set a franchise record by averaging 15.3 yards per return, which was second in the league after the Bears' Devin Hester. For the 2010 season, Edelman played in 15 games with seven receptions for 86 yards and 321 return yards on 21 punt returns. In the Divisional Round against the New York Jets, Edelman had a 12-yard reception during the 28–21 loss.
2011 season: First Super Bowl appearance
During the 2011 season, Edelman was used primarily as a kick and punt returner. During Week 10 against the New York Jets, because of injuries to the Patriots' secondary, he was pressed into service as a defensive back during the fourth quarter; Edelman earned his first tackle on defense by stopping running back LaDainian Tomlinson on a play in which Tomlinson injured his knee.During Week 11 on Monday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs, Edelman played defensive back in nickel and dime situations. He also returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown, which helped Edelman earn his first AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award. In the next game, he was nominated for the NFL's "Hardest Working Man" for his performance against the Philadelphia Eagles, where Edelman made an open-field tackle on Vince Young to prevent a touchdown. For the 2011 season, Edelman played 13 games with four receptions for 34 yards and 584 return yards on 40 kickoff and punt returns.
In the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, Edelman played on 27 of 67 offensive snaps at wide receiver, catching one pass that converted a third down attempt, and 27 of 73 defensive snaps at cornerback, often covering the Ravens' Anquan Boldin; Edelman was credited with a forced fumble on the Ravens' final drive. The Patriots went on to win the AFC Championship, but lost Super Bowl XLVI to the New York Giants. Edelman had three kickoff returns for 73 return yards in the game.
2012 season
Edelman's snap count increased in the first two games of the 2012 season, including a Week 2 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals in which he started over Wes Welker. After suffering a hand injury in the Patriots' Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Edelman was inactive for the next three games. He then saw limited duty until the Patriots' record-tying Week 11 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, where he had one of the best games of his career. Edelman caught five passes for 58 yards and a two-yard touchdown, picked up 47 yards on a single rushing attempt on a reverse play, and returned two punts for a total of 117 yards. The first of those punt returns was a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown, giving Edelman three punt return touchdowns, tying the Patriots franchise mark. Edelman had 105 yards of total offense and 222 all-purpose yards with two touchdowns.On Thanksgiving Day, Edelman scored two more touchdowns in the second quarter of the Patriots' victory over the New York Jets, in which they tied a franchise record with five touchdowns and 35 points in one quarter; he recovered a Jets' fumble and returned it 22 yards on a kickoff return right after the Butt Fumble touchdown, and then caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady. Although Edelman left early in the third quarter with a head injury, he became the first player since the AFL–NFL merger with both a receiving touchdown and a return touchdown in consecutive games. In the next game against the Miami Dolphins, Edelman broke his right foot and was placed on injured reserve, prematurely ending his season. Overall in 2012, Edelman played in nine games with 21 receptions for 235 yards and 301 return yards on 20 kickoff-punt combined return opportunities.
2013 season
Edelman became a free agent after the 2012 season. He re-signed with New England on a one-year deal on April 10, 2013.During the 2013 season opener, Edelman scored both of New England's touchdowns in the narrow 23–21 victory over the Buffalo Bills. He also had three punt returns for a total of 32 yards, which gave him a career total of 75 returns for 975 yards. Edelman became the NFL's all-time leader in career punt return average, with 13.0 yards per return, surpassing the 12.8-yard average of former Chicago Bear George McAfee, although his average dropped below 12.8 shortly afterward.
Edelman had nine catches on 11 attempts for 110 yards and two touchdowns in a historic Week 12 comeback victory at home over the Denver Broncos; the Patriots overcame a 24-point halftime deficit, scored 31 unanswered points, and kicked the winning field goal in the closing minutes of overtime. Edelman outperformed Denver's triplet star wide receivers combined. In Week 17, Edelman became the third Patriots player in team history to catch over 100 passes in a season in the Patriots' 34–20 win over the Buffalo Bills in their second divisional matchup. 2013 became a breakout season for Edelman as he played in all 16 games making 105 receptions for 1,056 yards and 35 punt return opportunities for 374 yards.
File:Julian Edelman 2014.JPG|thumb|right|Edelman in the AFC Championship Game in Denver in January 2014
The Patriots won the AFC East and faced the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Round. In the 43–22 victory, Edelman had six receptions for 84 yards. During the AFC Championship Game against the Broncos, he had 10 receptions for 89 yards in the 26–16 road loss.