Is Julian Edelman returning to NFL? Tom Brady's former teammate has eyes on Patriots, not Buccaneers

Wide receiver Julian Edelman last played with the New England Patriots in 2020. Edelman announced his retirement on April 12, 2021, after 12 seasons with New England.

On the I AM ATHLETE podcast, Edelman was asked about where he was at with the idea of returning to the NFL. He said, with the year off last year, he feels a lot better but, at the same time, is 10,000 reps behind.

Edelman said:

“The amount of work I have to put into my body to train, to make me confident — like, that’s so much for the output because of the injuries, my knees, this, that. I’m not getting the same output,” Edelman said, transcribed by NESN. “So now that I’ve taken a year off, and I’m not loading my body, compounding loads every single day, my body feels pretty straight, you know? I’ve gone and dabbled out and you go run routes. But then, you see when you run routes, the next day, like, all right, I’m not too bad, but I’m already like 10,000 reps behind I feel in my mind.”

When asked about coming back to the NFL, Edelman admitted that, after taking a year off football, his knee feels better than when he retired.

"Now that I've taken a year off, my body feels pretty straight."

Although he may feel much better, a return for Edelman is highly unlikely but not completely out of the question.

Julian Edelman hasn’t played since the 2020 season

San Francisco 49ers v New England Patriots

In his eleven-year career, he's racked up 6,822 receiving yards in the regular season and is currently second all-time in postseason yardage with 1,442 yards. He has 36 receiving touchdowns and also has five returns for touchdowns.

Edelman last played in 2020, playing in six games. He retired in the off-season and last year was his first season out of the NFL.

When asked about a return he said, we'll see.

Edelman said:

“I don’t know, we’ll see,” Edelman said via Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post. “That’s called a little teaser. We’ll see. We’re staying in shape but you never know.”

Edelman added that, if he were to return, he'd want it to be with the Patriots.

“I’d probably go back to the Patriots,” Edelman said. “I love the Patriots. Foxborough Forever.”

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If you use any quotes, please credit the I Am Athlete Podcast, the New York Post, and H/T Sportskeeda.

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