Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman has carved out a niche for himself in NFL playoff history, with his contributions to the Patriots, both on offense and special teams, putting him near the top of multiple postseason records.
Edelman has caught 105 passes in the playoffs in his career, second only to Jerry Rice’s 151 postseason catches in NFL history. With 1,271 postseason receiving yards, Edelman is likely to move into second in NFL postseason history at Super Bowl LIII, as he’s just 44 yards behind the current No. 2, Michael Irvin. (No one is going to catch Rice’s record of 2,245 postseason receiving yards any time soon.)
Edelman could also break some career Super Bowl punt return records on Sunday. So far Edelman has returned six punts for 67 yards. With three punt returns for 28 yards on Sunday, he’d have both the most returns and most yards in Super Bowl history.
Those postseason accomplishments have led to some discussion this week about whether Edelman could make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That is an extreme long shot, as Edelman has never even finished in the Top 10 in receiving yards in any season of his career. But what Edelman has done in the postseason gives him a special place in NFL history.
