Watch: Julian Edelman Reacts To Contract Extension With Patriots

Julian Edelman will probably spend the rest of his career with the New England Patriots. The receiver earned a two-year contract extension with the team, and he will stay in Foxboro through the 2021 season. The extension will give him $18 million that provides $12 million guaranteed and an $8 million signing bonus as reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFl Network. The final year of his contract in 2012 has $2.8 million in guaranteed money.

The receiver took to his Twitter account to deliver a very special message. In his message, Edelman wrote that New England is his home.

Edelman first arrived in New England as a seventh-round draft pick out of Kent State in 2009. The receiver built a strong relationship with quarterback Tom Brady. Edelman returned from a torn ACL and was hit with a four-game suspension. He appeared in 12 games and totaled 74 receptions for 850 yards and six touchdowns. In the playoffs, Edelman caught 26 balls for 388 yards. In the Super Bowl, he kept the Patriots offense moving, and hauled in 10 of his 12 targets for 141 yards. That’s how he became the Super Bowl MVP.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick knew that Edelman would grow into a big player.

“He came to the Patriots [as a seventh-round draft pick in 2009] and caught passes, which he hadn’t done before; returned kicks, which he hadn’t done before; and played defense, which he hadn’t done before; in addition to cover kicks and all the other things in special teams.

“Nobody has worked harder in my career than Julian to develop his skills and his craft in a position — other than, I’d say, Steve Neal — other than Julian, because he really didn’t have any background in it. We put him on defense and put him against good players in the slot, and obviously, he’s excelled as a receiver for a player that had no real college background doing that.”

Let’s see what happens with the Patriots and Edelman next year. Will he be this great? Let’s hope that the team will use his strength on the field.

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