The Reason Patriots Released Julian Edelman Before Retirement Announcement

Veteran wideout Julian Edelman made an official announcement on his retirement. However, the New England Patriots decided to release the veteran before he even announced his next move.

The Patriots tagged Edelman with a failed physical designation before the organization released him from the active roster. After the move, Edelman formally announced his decision to retire from the NFL. He was part of the NFL world for 12 seasons. It was a wild career for the veteran wideout and he enjoyed every bit of it. Edelman won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and helped the team win many games. The wideout earned the Super Bowl MVP award in 2018. He was the star of every postseason and pretty much every NFL fan knows it.

Julian Edelman announced his retirement at the right time

The former wideout will collect some money before his retirement as opposed to simply being cut from the active roster.

“Edelman is now able to collect $2 million in injury protection for 2021. New England will have still have to account for $1.2 million of it when it comes to the salary cap, in addition to $2.67 million in dead cap money,” Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reported.

Edelman joined the Patriots in 2009. The team got him 232^nd overall in the seventh round of the draft. Edelman was a quarterback at Kent State from 2006 to 2008. Many teams showed interest in Edelman and they offered him different positions. Some wanted him to play safety and the Patriots saw an excellent running back. Head coach Bill Belichick didn’t make a move until late in the seventh round. He called Edelman to tell him that he is an excellent player and that they plan to draft him. Of course, Edelman didn’t know anything about his future role with the Patriots, but he was more than excited to play under Belichick. The rest is history.

The wideout adjusted to the new system without any problems. He helped the Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams in 2018. The Patriots were champions and Edelman played a big role on the roster.