Julian Edelman will return to Gillette Stadium this weekend. He will be the New England Patriots’ guest of honor this weekend, as the Patriots will honor their former wide receiver at halftime of Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. Edelman retired in the offseason after playing 12 seasons in Foxborough. He was taken in the 7th round of the 2009 NFL Draft out of Kent State where he was a quarterback.
Edelman was a popular player and made plenty of big plays throughout his career. He finished with 620 receptions for 6,822 yards and 36 touchdowns in the regular season. He played well in the regular season but was exceptionally better in the postseason. His postseason numbers included 118 receptions for 1,442 yards and five touchdowns. Those numbers put him in second place on the career postseason list behind Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
He would win three Super Bowl Championships and made great plays in all three of those. He was the MVP of Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams, helping New England win their 6th Lombardi Title. He finished with ten receptions for 141 yards, which was half of the Patriot’s total receiving yardage. While he was great against the Rams, few fans will never forget his unforgettable catch against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. That catch would help the Patriots to go on and complete the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. In their Super Bowl XLIX victory against the Seattle Seahawks, he caught nine passes for 109 yards and one touchdown.
Edelman was great for the Patriots, especially in the playoffs. One question that has been asked is whether or not he is a Hall of Famer due to his postseason numbers. That is a debate for another time, but this weekend in Foxborough, the Pats will honor him for a great career and a job well done.