Julian Edelman’s retirement earlier this week was far from a surprise. If anything the writing was on the wall last week, when Patriots beat writer Karen Guregian reported that Edelman was unlikely to be able to play the entirety of the upcoming 2021 season due to the “chronic” knee issues that plagued him last year. So, on Monday when news broke that the Patriots were terminating their star wideout’s contract, I didn’t bat an eye (okay fine, maybe it was a half wink situation). I knew what was coming next.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Edelman tweeted out a genuinely touching farewell video:
I won’t act like Edelman was ever my favorite Patriots player. But it’s impossible to watch that video, listen to the audio highlights of some of the most iconic moments in NFL history, think about his story of 7th round QB turned Super Bowl MVP slot receiver, and not be moved at all. Yeah, I’ll admit it, it got a little dusty in my apartment when I heard the way Edelman’s voice not-so-subtly broke as he said “I’ve always said, I’mma go until the wheels come off…and uh, they finally have fallen off.” In the moments after the announcement, Twitter, always a bastion of critical nuanced thinking and well-adjusted reactions, was ablaze with some spicy takes about whether or not Edelman’s career warranted a bust in Canton. I’m not here to sort that out right now, but I do think that conversation is irrelevant. Edelman’s Super Bowl resume speaks loudly enough:
So many 3rd down catches in massive moments, so many chains moved thanks to hard earned yards after catch, and that’s just in Super Bowls. Those three iconic performances don’t even include the Edelman to Amendola pass, or the “You’re Too Old” 2018 AFC championship game, where Edelman was unstoppable in the 4th quarter and overtime. When the lights were brightest, you could almost always count on Jules to show up.
I’ve found it impossible to think about Edelman this week without considering another recently retired New England sports legend: Dustin Pedroia. Both Edelman and Pedroia excelled despite not fitting a traditional superstar mold. Edelman’s journey from Kent State QB to 7th round pick to three time Super Bowl champ and Super Bowl MVP is an NFL rarity. Pedroia, similarly, was easy to overlook as a 5-9, prematurely balding middle infielder with an outsized personality. While both guys were great, they were never the absolute best player on their team. Even during Pedroia’s 2008 AL MVP season, you could have made a compelling case that Kevin Youkilis was just as worthy of consideration that year (plus, you know, David Ortiz exists). Pedroia, like Edelman, had his share of championship moments too, most memorably his first World Series at bat:
There’s even similarities in the way their careers ended: Both guys played until they simply couldn’t due to knee injuries and rehab setbacks. Pedroia had only played 9 games since 2018, and finally called it quits on February 1st. Edelman played through a litany of injuries throughout his 12 year career, but a knee injury limited to only 6 games in 2020, and ultimately forced his retirement on April 12th. For two guys who had such a huge impact while they were at their best, it was a bummer to see them hobble around those last two years.
Ultimately, though, the word that describes both of these dudes is gritty. I’m aware of the sports cliche that word conjures up (mainly white guys who try really hard but aren’t that good at their sport), but both guys embodied that word as much as any football or baseball player I can remember. What’s more is that Pedroia and Edelman weren’t some end of the bench grinders that the aforementioned cliche often references. This isn’t Brian Daubach or Shawn Thornton. Pedey and Jules are borderline Hall of Famers who were beloved by fans, accrued individual accolades, and were major contributors to multiple championship teams. Boston has a history of glorifying its blue collar players, but what made Edelman and Pedroia special were that they were consistently worthy of that praise. They embodied an era of Boston sports that got their jerseys dirty, but also won.
New England sports have undergone a bit of a changing of the guard over the last half decade. David Ortiz, Tom Brady, and Zdeno Chara have all either retired or moved on to other teams. Mookie Betts, the heir apparent, is going to be wearing Dodger blue until 2032. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are up next, but if this Celtics season is any indication there are still some growing pains yet to go through there. Of course, that’s the way sports work: we get older, our childhood heroes get older, those guys get replaced, and we end up growing attached to the next set guys who wear the laundry. The cycle continues, and sure enough someone else will take up the Mantle of Grit left down in the Boston Sports Batcave.
That doesn’t mean I’m not glad I got to see Pedroia and Edelman do their thing over the last 10-15 years. I’m elated I was lucky enough to root for their teams, and I can’t wait to tell my kids and grandkids what it was like to watch the Laser Show rip frozen ropes all over the field, or how my dad and I stood nose-to-TV screen to see if Edelman actually caught the ball during the greatest comeback in football history. They might not believe the latter, but who cares. It’ll be one hell of a story.
For The Love 