Julian Edelman is so screwed.
And it really bums me out.
I like Jules a lot. Okay ...
I LOVE JULAN EDELMAN and I don’t care who knows it!
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I love him more than Tompa Brady, Bill Belichick, Nike, Dr. Fauci (a close second to Jules), Brie Larson — have you seen "Captain Marvel"? — and me. Yes, I love him more than Gary Tanguay.
This kid deserves better. A seventh round pick out of Kent State at 5-foot-10, he made the move from quarterback to wide receiver and is one the most clutch performers at his position of all-time. His double-clutch snag against the Falcons in Super Bowl 51 to me is unmatched. His book "Relentless," co-authored with our own Tom E. Curran, describes his persona perfectly.
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And now he's 33 going on 34 and is pretty much done. There is no way that “Stid the Kid” can put the ball where Jules needs it the way Brady could.
My biggest concern is that Bill’s pet, Stidham — hey, let’s just call him Nike 2 — is going to mess up and lay Jules out. Then it’ll be Good Night, JE11.
DISCLAIMER: At the time I wrote this, Andy Dalton was not a Patriot. If that changes, nothing changes for Jules. Got it?
Let’s face it, Edelman should probably quit for the sake of his head. We know, Seahawk Super Bowl included, this guy has sacrificed his body and mind to unspeakable measures.
I have always been a fan, but after spending time with his former teammates at Kent State during a Tanguay Takes America Tour and watching his documentary, I fell hard for Jules.
One of his teammates from his college days who shall remain nameless — not because I am trying to protect him, but because I forgot his name — told us that a number of times Edelman, the smallest guy in the room, would find himself in a brawl. His teammates would look at each other and say, “Okay, let’s go save his ass.”
The pick-up basketball games he played were legendary for their battles. A game wouldn’t go by without him getting pissed at a roommate, not talking to a guy or throwing some mean elbows. The guy hated — no, hates — to lose. That’s what connected him to Tompa Brady.
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Will Nike 2 have that same desire to win? I don’t know if anyone on the planet does. Okay, maybe Jordan — but he’s a whiskey-drinking TV star now.
I also feel bad for Jules because he never got paid. The $12 million guaranteed he received in his last deal was his financial peak. Twelve million? The guy has been robbed. Remember when no one wanted him, and he came back to New England at a bargain? He played so damn well he made Wes Welker forgettable — and that’s saying something.
But the most endearing quality about Julian Edelman is that he takes his job seriously but not himself. I wish we could say the same about Tompa Brady.
Jules is a talented guy who is naturally funny, and unlike Gronk will have a long career in the entertainment business when his playing days are over. His Two Ferns rip off and other digital posts can be very funny. I thought he tried a little too hard with his documentary, but hey, you can’t win them all ... even though Mark Wahlberg was pretty funny. Jules has to be in "Daddy’s Home 3." The best part of that film was the father-son relationship, by the way.
Listen, I could go on and on about this guy, but the sad truth is Bill Belichick has his legacy, an island and a pile of cash. Tompa Brady has the TB12 cult, a city he named after himself and a pile of cash.
On the flip side, Julian Edelman, one of the greatest competitors of our time, will be left out in the cold.
And it’s a F#$%^& shame!