Latest update makes it feel like Julian Edelman’s Patriots tenure is coming to an end

The Patriots won’t activate Julian Edelman for Week 15.

Some fans were optimistic that the New England Patriots would be getting a key offensive reinforcement back ahead of their Week 15 matchup against the Miami Dolphins. However, the status quo will remain.

The Patriots reportedly won’t activate Julian Edelman for Sunday’s game, meaning the clock is ticking faster than ever. It feels extremely futile for him to play the final two games of a season that’s likely lost (the Pats have a 6% chance to make the playoffs), which then puts into question his tenure with the team.

If Edelman can’t take the field in a must-win game with other key players out while a return for contests against the Bills and Jets feeling pointless, is this the end of the road for the veteran? It’s hard to envision Bill Belichick paying nearly $7 million for Edelman in 2021 when the identity of the roster is up in the air.

While the Patriots will be flush with cap space in 2021, they can save $4 million by cutting Edelman loose. If he doesn’t play another down this year, one would guess the team wouldn’t be keen on taking a chance in order to see how he can perform after not playing a single snap since Week 7.

On top of that, as much as we hate to say it, Jules is getting up there in age and has looked bad this season (outside of the Seahawks game).

Though he had a career year in 2019, injuries continue to gobble him up. He battled through many last season and it’s obvious that slowed him down a ton heading into his age-34 campaign. With the Patriots having much work to do in terms of revamping the offense, especially the receiving corps, it’s conceivable to think we’ve seen the last of Edelman.

Then again, maybe he’s brought back for the final two games so the coaching staff can see what he’s got left in order to make a decision for his status in 2021. That’d surely be a healthy optimistic way to view things over the course of the next week.

However, the fact that he was considered day-to-day by Belichick two weeks after his return was reportedly “nearing” doesn’t really bode well for Edelman or for a Patriots team that will likely be taking on a new journey and roster construction in 2021.

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