Patriots: Julian Edelman clearly trying to woo Kenny Golladay to New England
By Jerry Trotta
WR Julian Edelman is clearly trying to lure Lions star Kenny Golladay to the Patriots by sending him some of his JE11 apparel.
Stop us if you’ve heard this before, Patriots fans, but the trade deadline is rapidly approaching and countless media outlets are imploring general manager Bill Belichick to get Cam Newton some long overdue help and pull off a deal for a star wide receiver.
When you take a look at the snap counts over the last couple of games, it’s become clear that Julian Edelman has fallen down the WR pecking order. Regardless of whether it’s due to his struggles with drops or his lingering knee injury (maybe it’s both), the fact of the matter is that he’s played a lesser percentage of the offensive snaps than both N’Keal Harry and Damiere Byrd, both of whom really have no business being the top two options on a team with playoff aspirations.
The Patriots have been linked with a handful of star wideouts in recent weeks, including Odell Beckham Jr., Allen Robinson and AJ Green, but all of those rumors fizzled out in relatively short order.
Well, with time running out for the Patriots to get a deal done, it appears that Edelman has voluntarily taken matters into his own hands in the form of recruiting. The three-time champion sent Lions star Kenny Golladay some of his JE11 apparel and proceeded to shout him out on Instagram after he showed his appreciation for the gesture.
https://twitter.com/patriotsnews247/status/1318651698332815364
Edelman is obviously friendly with numerous players around the league, but it’s pretty clear that he’s trying to lure the Lions stud to New England. If this doesn’t confirm that the 34-year-old vet is a Patriots legend, we don’t know what will.
In all seriousness, however, trading for Golladay is a move we can get on board with. For starters, the former third-round pick is precisely what the Patriots’ stagnant offense desperately needs an injection of: a red zone monster and a dependable deep ball threat who can take the top off of opposing defenses.
The stats can back that up, too. Not only did Golladay lead the entire NFL with 11 receiving touchdowns last season, but he finished third in yards per reception (18.3) and sixth in yards per target (10.3). When you consider that Newton is averaging just 7.6 yards per pass attempt, which ranks 17th among qualified quarterbacks, the 2019 Pro Bowler would literally be a perfect fit on the Patriots. Edelman is a genius for actively trying to recruit him.
https://twitter.com/patriotsnews247/status/1318652683155365889
We’re obviously not implying that a trade for Golladay is going to happen, but reports out of Detroit indicate that he isn’t thrilled with how his contract negotiations have stalled after previously wanting to ink a deal before the start of the season.
At this point, Patriots fans will latch onto any feasible rumor that could see Belichick add a dynamic wideout before the deadline, and this social media interaction between the two NFL stars clearly falls under that category.
