$25,000,000 worth Julian Edelman reveals why he took team-friendly deals over maximizing earnings - "I understood what I was a part of"

Julian Edelman has done well with his career. He won multiple Super Bowls and was the MVP in the LII edition. He retired and has set up a successful career off the field with his podcasts and media appearances. He is worth $25 million and he credits that to his decision to take team-friendly deals when he was with the Patriots.

Appearing on Colin Cowherd's show, he said that he understood that he was part of the New England dynasty and wanted to stay in the winning culture. He noted,

"For me personally, I always took team friendly-ish deals because I understood what I was a part of. I understood that I'd have my most success in New England because we were winning."

Julian Edelman continued by saying that he felt that if he went to another team where the coaching staff was not stable, he would get stuck in the middle of nowhere. Then whatever deal he got would not be worth it as it would affect his brand outside the field. He concluded,

"I understood that, you know, if I go to another team, and that coaching staff gets fired, and you're in the middle of nowhere and you ain't making no money off the field, like I understood all that when I was signing with New England. I think that's a huge part of the evaluation process for the player and the situation."

Julian Edelman thinks Sam Darnold made a mistake going to Seattle

Julian Edelman took the example of Sam Darnold signing a deal with the Seahawks after a year in Minnesota to re-establish his credibility as a starting quarterback in the NFL. The former wide receiver said that going to Seattle with a defensive coach, where one has to learn the system again, is sometimes not worth the extra money he is making by leaving Kevin O'Connell behind in Minnesota.

The whole conversation began with the 49ers reportedly shying away from paying Brock Purdy what he is demanding. The quarterback is looking for a new deal after his rookie contract allowed San Francisco to put a team around him that saw them reach the NFC Championship twice and the Super Bowl once.

However, Julian Edelman gave the impression that he feels it would be better for him to remain with Kyle Shanahan, someone who has brought out the best in him, instead of going for some extra dollars elsewhere. It was a parallel he connected to Sam Darnold while talking about his experiences.