Julian Edelman is calling it a career.
The longtime Patriots receiver retired Monday, not long after the team terminated his contract over a failed physical.
“I always said I’m gonna go until the wheels come off, and they finally have fallen off,” Edelman said in a four-minute video posted to social media. “It was a hard decision, but the right decision for me and my family. I’m honored and so proud to be returning a Patriot.
“It’s been the best 12 years of my life. It’s been a hell of a run.”
Edelman went on to thank Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his family, coach Bill Belichick, his New England teammates and Patriots fans.
“I’m one of you now,” he said to the fans. “I’ll leave you with two words: Foxborough forever.”
Edelman missed the final 10 games of the 2020 season recovering from knee surgery and the Boston Herald reported last week there were doubts in Foxborough that the 34-year-old would be able to play the entire 2021 season.
Edelman had 620 catches for 6,820 yards and 36 touchdowns in his 12-year career. A quarterback at Kent State and seventh-round pick in the 2009 draft, he found a special teams role in New England en route to becoming one of Tom Brady’s favorite receivers.
The undersized pass-catcher starred when it came to the postseason, logging 118 receptions for 1,442 yards and five touchdowns en route to three Super Bowl championships and taking home MVP honors for his 2018 performance.
“Few players can match Julian’s achievements, period, but considering his professional trajectory and longevity, the group is even more select,” Belichick said in a statement. “For all Julian did for our team, what I may appreciate the most is he was the quintessential throwback player. He could, and did, do everything — catch, run, throw, block, return, cover and tackle — all with an edge and attitude that would not allow him to fail under any circumstance. Julian Edelman is the ultimate competitor and it was a privilege to coach him.”
Belichick, the Patriots’ de facto general manager spent the offseason rebuilding an offense that struggled last season during a 7-9 campaign, his first in 20 years without Brady as quarterback.
The team added receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, along with tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, to give more weapons to quarterback Cam Newton.