4 Patriots who won’t be on the roster in 2021
1. Julian Edelman
We’re surely taking a risk here, but it feels like Julian Edelman won’t be a Patriots wideout in 2021.
Julian Edelman once again battled injuries in 2020, which feels like an annual occurrence for the veteran. Coming off a career year in 2019, Edelman’s six-game campaign was as underwhelming as it gets. Despite an epic performance in Week 2, Edelman was generally a non-factor on offense, which really says a lot when you consider who was taking the field on a weekly basis.
Knee surgery and a stint on the COVID-19 list ended his season despite countless teasers suggesting his return, and for some odd reason, this season from hell has fans thinking that this is the end of the road for Edelman in a Patriots uniform. Why? Because if the offense is undergoing monumental changes, there’s no sense in keeping a liability (in terms of health) in Edelman around when you can save $4 million by cutting him loose, or get your hands on a late-round draft pick in a trade.
Edelman is an incredible athlete, but he’s going to be 35 years old next season and we have zero evidence of his capabilities in the receiving game without Tom Brady. We’re not saying he’s incapable of performing without the future Hall of Famer, but at this point in his career, it’ll be an uphill battle for him to develop a successful rapport with another new QB.
Though the Patriots have a plethora of cap space heading into the offseason, Belichick isn’t wasteful. He’s more known for getting rid of players a year too early than a year too late, and we’d venture to say there’s going to be some sort of “mutual” parting of the ways or a trade that puts Edelman in a very favorable situation in the coming months.
