Fans had a difficult choice over the past month, deciding between three worthy finalists for the Patriots Hall of Fame. Ultimately, Pats Nation voted with their hearts and selected Julian Edelman.
The wide receiver, punt returner, part-time cornerback, three-time Super Bowl Champion and Super Bowl LIII MVP won the fan vote for induction over kicker Adam Vinatieri and guard Logan Mankins.
Edelman will likely never earn Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration. He never made an All-Pro team nor was ever voted to a Pro Bowl. But Edelman captured the hearts of Boston sports fans like few others over his 12-year career.
Edelman was a unique character, an incredible story and a great football player who made himself a local legend through unforgettable, clutch moments. He caught the go-ahead touchdown in Super Bowl 49 after taking brutal hits from the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom secondary. He made the Edelman Catch in Super Bowl 51, somehow slipping his fingertips under a double-clutched football as the Patriots drove to tie the Falcons late in the fourth quarter of the 28-3 comeback win. He took home Super Bowl LIII MVP for his 10-catch, 141-yard performance against the Rams. And he goes down as one of the all-time great postseason receivers in NFL history with over 100 receptions, 1,400 yards and five touchdowns in 19 playoff games.
But the Bay Area-native still probably wouldn’t have won the vote over Vinatieri and Mankins if not for his willingness to embrace the region and become an adopted Bostonian. He did it better than anyone of his era and morphed himself into a fan surrogate for New England sports fans.
He proudly supported the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins. He made funny viral videos. He accepted his role as Tom Brady’s puppy dog and was willing to make self-effacing jokes about how he would follow his quarterback anywhere to gain his trust and get his targets. “Minitron” and “Squirrel” weren’t exactly the most complimentary nicknames, but he was savvy, accepted them and raked in the cash with his own merchandise line.
Edelman wasn’t the easiest guy to cover early in his career. As New Englanders, we all know that guy who just always seems pissed off about something. That was Edelman, especially before he had his breakout 2013 campaign. He’d walk around the locker room with a scowl on his face. He’d go from Point A to Point B and wouldn’t stick around his locker to chit-chat or make additional time for the media. Before 2013, there weren’t many reasons to talk to him anyway. He was one of the league’s best punt returners, but from 2010 to 2012, he caught just 32 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns. He signed a one-year contract worth just over $1 million during the 2013 offseason after Wes Welker had departed for the Broncos. Danny Amendola, who came over from the Rams and signed a five-year, $28.5 million contract with the Patriots, was supposed to take Welker’s place as Brady’s security blanket.
But then Edelman warmed up as his career took off with a 100-catch, 1,000-yard season in 2013. He only liked to speak in a scrum once a week — typically on Fridays and always at his locker — but I found I could convince him to talk for a 1-on-1 if I agreed to walk to a tucked-away corner in the locker room. I was fascinated by the fact that Edelman and Matthew Slater — the ultimate odd couple — were roommates and had a familial relationship. Edelman liked talking about mid-1990s Bay Area sports. He would reluctantly discuss his relationship with Brady and how he moved out to Los Angeles during the offseason early in his career to be his QB’s throwing buddy.
In group settings, Edelman was good for a clip on the local news, making a wry joke about his own passing abilities, the opposing team or Brady with a smirk on his face. He would ham it up when he was mic’d up for a big game while also screaming at his teammates to “focus!”
Edelman’s play on the field mattered most. But Patriots fans truly fell in love with Edelman for his willingness to play along. And like many New Englanders, Edelman was tough, intense and loyal. Through his sometimes tough exterior, Edelman had fun with the fact that he not only made it to NFL but overachieved and excelled. He embraced the fanbase, and they repaid him on Monday.
Teammates loved talking about their love-hate relationship with Edelman. Slater once called him the team’s “irritated uncle.”
“He’s always giving us a hard time, holding guys accountable,” Slater said. “He just brings an edge to him.” All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore hated covering him in practice because he was so intense.
Edelman once told me, “I think about football. That’s what I think I was put on this earth to do.” NFL players inherently work hard and appreciate the fact that they’ve made it to the highest level. But Edelman seemed to cherish it more. Maybe it was the fact that he was 4’11” when he began high school or that he began his path to the NFL as a junior college quarter. In many ways, Edelman wasn’t supposed to make it. So he did everything he could to keep his spot (even if it meant getting popped for a positive performance-enhancing drug test ahead of the 2018 season as he recovered from a torn ACL suffered during the 2017 preseason). He moonlighted as a cornerback in 2011 when the Patriots’ secondary was ravaged by injuries. He played through his own ailments and always got back up on his feet until his knee couldn’t take it anymore, and he had to retire after the 2020 season. And now he’s done an invaluable job of staying in the media zeitgeist with his podcast and FOX Sports deal.
Vinatieri and Mankins would have been fine choices. And they’ll get in one day.
Vinatieri will likely make the Pro Football Hall one day with his four Super Bowl championships, three first-team All-Pro honors and three Pro Bowl nominations as perhaps the greatest kicker in NFL history. He was clutch and made some of the most historic kicks in the sport. But he also played longer for the Colts than he did in New England, and many still picture him in a white and royal blue jersey first.
Mankins was a six-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, widely regarded as one of the best guards of his era. He also played during the Patriots’ championship drought between 2005 and 2013.
Fans can debate about who deserved the honor. Vinatieri and Mankins certainly did, as well. But it’s no surprise that when left up to fans, Edelman got in on his first ballot.