Patriots’ tribute video to Julian Edelman is absolutely awesome
By Jerry Trotta
The departure of Tom Brady last offseason signified a transition period for the New England Patriots, who stumbled to their worst record in two decades last year and followed that up by spending the most cap space of any team in in the NFL in free agency.
This extended conversion period unfortunately claimed another lifelong Patriot this week, as wideout Julian Edelman announced his retirement shortly after his contract was terminated as a result of a failed physical stemming from his chronic knee injuries.
This gut-wrenching news means that there are very few members of the Patriots’ dynasty still standing on the current roster.
However, it goes without saying that Edelman was the last iconic member of that bunch remaining, so this is clearly an emotional time for the fan base.
As expected, Edelman has received an outpouring of love from teammates (both current and former, including Tom Brady) coaches and even some colleagues around the league.
Clearly needing a few days to scour through some of the 34-year-old’s most memorable highlights, the Patriots released their tribute video for Edelman on Wednesday.
For any fans who are still shaken up from the news, we’d advise grabbing a box of tissues before pressing play.
https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1382339844735705090?s=20
The Patriots’ tribute video for Julian Edelman is awesome.
Did anybody else cringe a little seeing what Edelman looked like early on in his career? We’ve grown so accustomed to the three-time champ‘s hair always being tidy and trimmed that we completely forgot he used to rock the boy band look back in the day.
Beyond that, this video fully encapsulates what defined Edelman’s career: grit. The fact that he wore that bright yellow Kent State football t-shirt in almost every practice following his second season (when it was delivered to him by the school’s equipment manager Clifton Ragin) further proves that he never forgot his roots and always played with a chip on his shoulder.
Entering the league as a seventh-round pick back in 2009, Edelman, a quarterback in college, had to scratch and claw for everything he earned as a pro. Patriots fans will fondly remember him starting out as defensive back before ultimately converting to a receiver full time.
The debates about whether Edelman deserves a gold jacket will be exhausting and often infuriating for fans, but this video proves that they and the Patriots organization should spend most of their energy over the next few weeks and months celebrating his career.
After all, it’ll probably be quite some time before the franchise is graced with another scrappy underdog who was as successful, as respected around the league and as beloved by fans as much as the former Super Bowl MVP.
