Coach Bill Belichick Was Asked If Julian Edelman Will Be Back In 2021

New England Patriots wideout Julian Edelman won’t play in the final game of the season as he enters 2021 on injured reserve. Many thought that Edelman would recover from his knee injury on time. However, things weren’t that easy. Edelman did show up on the practice field, but the team didn’t activate him fro IR. According to recent reports, the Patriots are closing the book on the wideout’s 2020 season this weekend.

Edelman won’t join his teammates in the regular season finale against the Jets. Media members wanted to know more about this and asked head coach Bill Belichick why the wideout won’t play on Sunday. The legendary coach said it wasn’t because of a major setback.

“I wouldn’t say that, no,” he said. “I would just say he wasn’t ready to play and won’t be ready to play.”

This leads us all the way to the next question. Will Edelman play in 2021? Will the Patriots keep him on the roster next season? Belichick had another interesting response. He believes it’s too early to discuss this topic.

We all know that Belichick doesn’t really talk about his future plans. He is a man of a few words and that’s not really a bad thing. In this way, the brilliant coach keeps all the important things to himself, giving his opponents a severe headache. Belichick taught his teammates to do the same during their sessions with the media.

Edelman has another year on his contract with the organization. New England can choose to release him with $2.6 million dead cap hit. If they decide to keep the Super Bowl MVP on the roster, Edelman will cost $6 million for the upcoming 2021 NFL season.

The veteran has had a valuable role with the team, but he is no longer a top receiver on Belichick’s roster. Edelman had a long tenure with the Patriots. This doesn’t change the fact that he will have to go at some point. Is this the end to his time with the Patriots?