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Julian Francis Edelman (born May 22, 1986) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Kent State Golden Flashes as a quarterback and was selected in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft by the Patriots, where he transitioned to a return specialist and wide receiver. Edelman became a primary offensive starter in 2013 and was a staple of the Patriots' receiving corps until his retirement after the 2020 season.
One of the NFL's most productive NFL playoffs receivers, Edelman ranks third in postseason receiving yards and receptions; he holds the Super Bowl records for punt returns and first-half receptions in a single game. A three-time Super Bowl winner, he was the receiving yards leader during his victories in Super Bowl XLIX and Super Bowl LIII. Edelman was named MVP of the latter, accounting for more than half his team's receiving yards.
Edelman played varsity football and baseball at Woodside High School in Woodside, California. He was extremely small as a freshman, weighing under before his growth spurt. Edelman was the quarterback for his high-school team, and as a senior, he led the Wildcats to a 13–0 record in 2004. In high school, Edelman threw for 2,237 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushed for 964 yards and 13 .
On July 16, 2009, Edelman signed a four-year contract with the Patriots that included a $48,700 signing bonus. Edelman later stated that he knew he lacked the ability to make an NFL roster as a quarterback, so he prepared himself to play at positions other than quarterback before the draft. The BC Lions placed Edelman on their "negotiation list," a list of American players for which they have exclusive negotiating rights, and offered him a three-year, incentive-heavy contract to play quarterback.
On August 13, 2009, in a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Edelman returned a punt 75 yards, and he made the team over former Eagles wide receiver Greg Lewis, for whom the Patriots had given up a fifth-round draft pick in 2009.
Edelman missed the season-opener against the Buffalo Bills due to an ankle injury, but he made his first career start in the Patriots' 16–9 loss in Week 2 against the New York Jets, which was also the first game Wes Welker had missed since becoming a Patriot in 2007. Edelman led all receivers with eight receptions for 98 yards and added 38 yards on two and two yards on a punt return, for a total of 138 all-purpose yards.
Edelman broke his arm in the Patriots' Week 6 59–0 rout of the Tennessee Titans, and did not accompany the Patriots on their trip to London to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the time of his injury, Edelman was leading all rookies that season with 21 receptions. He returned with the Patriots' Week 10 game against the Indianapolis Colts, scoring his first official NFL touchdown on a nine-yard reception from Tom Brady.
When Welker was sidelined for the season after tearing two knee ligaments against the Houston Texans, Edelman was again called on to fill Welker's role; Edelman caught 10 of the 15 passes thrown to him for 103 yards, the first 100-yard game of his NFL career. Edelman finished the regular season with 37 receptions for 359 yards and a touchdown. He also made six punt returns as well as 11 kickoff returns, gaining 304 yards in all on 17 returns.
In the Patriots' playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Edelman caught six passes from Brady for 44 yards, including both of the Patriots' touchdowns. He became the first rookie to score two receiving touchdowns in one postseason game since David Sloan did so for the Detroit Lions in the 1995 season.
Edelman set a franchise record by averaging 15.3 yards per return, which was second in the league after the Bears' Devin Hester. For the 2010 season, Edelman played in 15 games with seven receptions for 86 yards and 321 return yards on 21 punt returns. In the against the New York Jets, Edelman had a 12-yard reception during the 28–21 loss.
During Week 11 on Monday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs, Edelman played defensive back in nickel and dime situations. He also returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown, which helped Edelman earn his first AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award. In the next game, he was nominated for the NFL's "Hardest Working Man" for his performance against the Philadelphia Eagles, where Edelman made an open-field tackle on Vince Young to prevent a touchdown. For the 2011 season, Edelman played 13 games with four receptions for 34 yards and 584 return yards on 40 kickoff and punt returns.
In the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, Edelman played on 27 of 67 offensive snaps at wide receiver, catching one pass that converted a third down attempt, and 27 of 73 defensive snaps at cornerback, often covering the Ravens' Anquan Boldin; Edelman was credited with a forced fumble on the Ravens' final drive. The Patriots went on to win the AFC Championship, but lost Super Bowl XLVI to the New York Giants. Edelman had three kickoff returns for 73 return yards in the game.
On Thanksgiving Day, Edelman scored two more touchdowns in the second quarter of the Patriots' Butt fumble over the New York Jets, in which they tied a franchise record with five touchdowns and 35 points in one quarter; he recovered a Jets' fumble and returned it 22 yards on a kickoff return, and then caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady. Although Edelman left early in the third quarter with a head injury, he became the first player since the AFL–NFL merger with both a receiving touchdown and a return touchdown in consecutive games. In the next game against the Miami Dolphins, Edelman broke his right foot and was placed on injured reserve, prematurely ending his season. Overall in 2012, Edelman played in nine games with 21 receptions for 235 yards and 301 return yards on 20 kickoff-punt combined return opportunities.
During the 2013 season opener, Edelman scored both of New England's touchdowns in the narrow 23–21 victory over the Buffalo Bills. He also had three punt returns for a total of 32 yards, which gave him a career total of 75 returns for 975 yards. Edelman became the NFL's all-time leader in career punt return average, with 13.0 yards per return, surpassing the 12.8-yard average of former Chicago Bear George McAfee, although his average dropped below 12.8 shortly afterward.
Edelman had nine catches on 11 attempts for 110 yards and two touchdowns in a historic Week 12 comeback victory at home over the Denver Broncos; the Patriots overcame a 24-point halftime deficit, scored 31 unanswered points, and kicked the winning field goal in the closing minutes of overtime. Edelman outperformed Denver's triplet star wide receivers combined. In Week 17, Edelman became the third Patriots player in team history to catch over 100 passes in a season in the Patriots' 34–20 win over the Buffalo Bills in their second divisional matchup. 2013 became a breakout season for Edelman as he played in all 16 games making 105 receptions for 1,056 yards and 35 punt return opportunities for 374 yards.
The Patriots won the AFC East and faced the Indianapolis Colts in the . In the 43–22 victory, Edelman had six receptions for 84 yards. During the against the Broncos, he had 10 receptions for 89 yards in the 26–16 road loss.
Edelman started 14 games for the Patriots in 2014. He had 92 receptions for 972 yards and four touchdowns. During Week 9 against the Denver Broncos, Edelman returned a punt 84 yards for his fourth career return touchdown, passing Troy Brown for the most punt return touchdowns in Patriots history. During Week 14 the San Diego Chargers, Edelman caught a pass from Tom Brady then broke two tackles and ran for 69 yards for a touchdown; it was the final touchdown of the game that led the Patriots to a 23–14 victory.
The Patriots won the AFC East and returned to the playoffs. Edelman recorded his first NFL touchdown pass on his first NFL pass attempt in the Patriots' game against the Baltimore Ravens. After receiving a lateral pass from Brady, Edelman threw a forward pass to Danny Amendola, who scored a 51-yard touchdown to tie the game at 28–28. In the against the Indianapolis Colts, Edelman had nine receptions for 98 yards in the 45–7 victory.
In Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks, Edelman led all receivers in yardage with 109 yards on nine receptions (teammate Shane Vereen had 11 receptions). His touchdown reception with 2:02 left in the fourth quarter—his only touchdown reception of the postseason—was the final go-ahead score of the game, putting the Patriots up 28–24. For the postseason as a whole, Edelman led all receivers in both receptions (26) and receiving yards (281). He was ranked 91st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.
Against the New York Giants on November 15, Edelman suffered an injury to his fifth metatarsal on his left foot that required him to undergo foot surgery the next day. Edelman was expected to be back on the field in six to eight weeks, in time for the playoffs, though that was contingent on the recovery process. Through nine games, Edelman had made 61 catches for 692 yards and seven touchdowns. He returned for the against the Kansas City Chiefs. Edelman had 10 catches for 100 yards to help the Patriots defeat the Chiefs 27–20 and advance to the AFC Championship Game for the fifth consecutive year, where he had seven receptions for 53 yards, but the Patriots narrowly lost on the road 20–18 to the Denver Broncos. For his efforts in 2015, Edelman was ranked 87th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
In the against the Houston Texans, Edelman caught his 70th postseason pass, breaking Wes Welker's Patriots franchise record. Edelman recorded eight receptions for 137 yards during the 34–16 victory as the Patriots reached the for an NFL record sixth consecutive season. During that game, Edelman caught eight passes for 118 yards in the 36–17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots advanced to an NFL record ninth Super Bowl appearance.
During Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons, Edelman had five receptions for 87 yards. The highlight was an unusually difficult catch in the fourth quarter, where the pass was first tipped into the air by cornerback Robert Alford and it appeared that it would fall incomplete, but Edelman and three defenders (Alford, Ricardo Allen, and Keanu Neal) lunged at the ball, and, after it bounced off Alford's leg, Edelman made the reception just inches above the ground. It was ruled a catch on the field and withstood a challenge from Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. NFL Films called the play, which was chosen for the cover of Sports Illustrated, "the greatest catch in Super Bowl history". Edelman's catch sustained a historic comeback for the Patriots, who trailed the Falcons 28–3 late in the third quarter before winning 34–28 in overtime. However, Edelman later stated that he does not like to be reminded of the catch or watch it on replay because it resulted from his own error in running the route.
Edelman played on Thursday Night Football against the Indianapolis Colts, where he caught seven passes for 57 yards. Three weeks later against the Buffalo Bills, he had nine receptions for 104 yards in the victory on Monday Night Football. During a Week 10 34–10 road loss to the Tennessee Titans, Edelman posted nine receptions for 104 yards once again. On December 29, he was fined $63,504 for three personal foul penalties in Week 16. Edelman finished the 2018 season with 74 receptions for 850 yards and six touchdowns. The Patriots finished with an 11–5 record and earned the #2-seed in the AFC in the playoffs.
In the against the Los Angeles Chargers, Edelman had nine receptions for 151 yards during the 41–28 victory. During the against the Kansas City Chiefs, he recorded seven receptions for 96 yards in the 37–31 overtime road victory, including two catches on 3rd-and-long situations to keep the eventual game-winning drive in overtime going. In Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams, Edelman caught 10 passes on 12 targets for 141 yards during the 13–3 victory, an effort for which he was named Most Valuable Player (MVP). Edelman became the first wide receiver to win Super Bowl MVP since Santonio Holmes did so in Super Bowl XLIII in 2009. Edelman finished the postseason with 26 receptions for 388 yards, totals high enough to move him into second place all-time in playoff receptions and receiving yards behind Jerry Rice. Edelman was the first Jewish football player to be named Super Bowl MVP.
Edelman's MVP award drew criticism as it came in the same season where he was suspended for using an unspecified performance-enhancing substance. The NFL prohibits players suspended for PED use from receiving awards given by the league or the NFL Players' Association. In an interview after the Super Bowl, Edelman apologized.
Edelman's performance in the 2018 playoffs has also led to debate about inducting him into the Hall of Fame despite a relative lack of regular season production. Edelman was ranked 90th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.
In Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Edelman caught six passes for 83 yards and threw a pass for 32 yards during the 33–3 victory. Two weeks later against the New York Jets, he caught seven passes for 62 yards and his first touchdown of the season in the 30–14 victory. However, Edelman suffered a rib injury in the second quarter that forced him out of the game. Edelman rebounded from injury in Week 5 against the Washington Redskins, where he had eight receptions for 110 yards and a touchdown; Edelman became the first Patriot to record at least 100 yards all season. In the next game against the New York Giants, Edelman recorded nine catches for 113 yards during the 35–14 victory. In the game, he surpassed Stanley Morgan for the third most receptions in Patriots history. Two weeks later against the Cleveland Browns, Edelman caught eight passes for 78 yards and a season-high two touchdowns in the 27–13 victory.
During Week 11 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Edelman caught five passes for 53 yards and threw a 15-yard touchdown to Phillip Dorsett II in the 17–10 victory. Two weeks later against the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football, Edelman had six receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown during the 28–22 road loss. In the regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins, Edelman recorded three receptions for 26 yards during the 27–24 loss, reaching 100 receptions on the season. He finished the 2019 season with 100 receptions for 1,117 yards and six touchdowns. During the against the Tennessee Titans, Edelman caught three passes for 30 yards and rushed twice for 12 yards and a touchdown in the 20–13 loss.
After his retirement, Edelman did a series of podcast interviews reviewing his career, including Pardon My Take and Green Light with Chris Long, a teammate of Edelman's during the 2016 season. Shortly after retiring from the NFL, he announced that he would start a media career and would join the cast of Inside the NFL on Paramount+. There was speculation that Edelman would later return to the NFL to play with former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following their former teammate Rob Gronkowski coming out of retirement to play with Brady on the Buccaneers, which included a remark by Brady himself. However, Edelman denied the rumors, saying that he was "a one-team guy".
Edelman's retirement also revived the debate about inducting him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which had begun after his MVP performance in Super Bowl LIII. Opponents cite Edelman's lack of Pro Bowl nominations and other usual metrics for evaluating NFL careers, while proponents cite his roles on three Super Bowl-winning Patriots teams and his ranking third all-time in postseason receptions and receiving yards.
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On October 24, 2017, Hachette Book Group published Edelman's memoir, Relentless, written with Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston.
Edelman has his own clothing brand, JE11. He has worked with Joe's Jeans on a line of shirts and jeans, and with Cutters Sports on a line of football gloves.
Edelman has made cameo appearances on television, including episodes of the HBO sports dramedy Ballers and the reality competition America's Next Top Model. He has also presented twice at the , in 2015 with teammate Malcolm Butler and in 2019 with teammate Devin McCourty. Edelman appeared in a Puma advertisement campaign in 2015.
With teammate Danny Amendola, Edelman was featured in a 30-minute NFL Network special, NFL Going Global: Edelman & Amendola, chronicling their promotional trip to Mexico City before the Patriots' 2017 game there.
The NFL Network documentary series A Football Life aired an episode about Edelman on November 25, 2022.
In October 2024, Edelman and Swissa partnered with friend and former teammate Rob Gronkowski on the entertainment studio, Nuthouse Sports. Their first production together was the “Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules” podcast which debuted on October 15, 2024.
In October 2024, Edelman along with his friend and former teammate, Rob Gronkowski, launched another iHeartMedia podcast, Dudes on Dudes.
Along with hosting, Edelman has made numerous appearances on other podcasts and sports shows. These include New Heights hosted by Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce, Cold as Balls by Kevin Hart, and The Von Cast hosted by Von Miller amongst many others. Edelman's appearance on the New Heights podcast showed him doing an impersonation of his former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. His impersonation of Belichick went on to become an internet meme and sensation, garnering millions of views after being posted by almost every major sports network in America.
Edelman's paternal great-grandfather, Harry Edelman, was Jews; after emigrating from Poland to England, he married Mabel Hennessey, a woman of Irish Catholics background, Julian's great-grandmother. As an adult, Edelman has experienced what he described as a "Jewish awakening." (2025). 9780316479851, Hachette. ISBN 9780316479851 During an NFL Network interview in December 2013, Edelman stated that he identifies as Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah; he has become "more attuned to the religion and history." In 2014, Edelman wore an Israeli-American flag pin on his hat during a game against the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium. He also voiced support for the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting: Edelman wore an Israeli flag hat following the Patriots' victory over the Green Bay Packers on November 4, 2018, and wore a pair of customized cleats bearing the hashtag #strongerthanhate in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers six weeks later. Edelman shared a photo of the cleats on Instagram and listed the names of all the victims in the photo's caption.
In response to Meyers Leonard use of an Antisemitism slur during a Twitch stream, Edelman posted an open letter inviting Leonard to a Shabbat dinner with him in Miami.
In July 2016, Edelman was named in a Paternity law filed by Swedish model Ella Rose, with whom he had a Casual sex, naming Edelman as the father of her unborn daughter. After first contesting paternity, Edelman acknowledged it; his daughter was born in November, and he was not named on her birth certificate.
About 9:00 p.m. on January 11, 2020, Edelman was cited for misdemeanor vandalism by the Beverly Hills Police Department after he allegedly jumped on the hood of a car in Beverly Hills, California, causing damage. In April 2020, the charge was dropped by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office because Edelman had paid the car owner for the repair and had no criminal record.
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