HOUSTON — By the time Super Bowl LI is over late Sunday night, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman might be No. 2 on the all-time NFL list for playoff receptions.
It’s a remarkable achievement when one considers that four years ago, when Edelman was an unrestricted free agent, there wasn’t a team other than the Patriots that offered him a contract worth slightly more than the minimum.
So here was Edelman on Tuesday afternoon, his bushy playoff beard now going on four months since it has been trimmed, talking about how he has always played with a chip on his shoulder. He had it at Woodside (California) High School, and then San Mateo Community College and Kent State.
The chip certainly hasn’t gone away in eight NFL seasons, all spent with the Patriots, and I asked him how that free-agent experience in 2013 spiked his I’ve-been-slighted meter.
“When 31 other teams pass on you,” he said, “it certainly doesn’t hurt the cause.”
Since that time, one constant has been the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Edelman’s ability to hurt opposing defenses, especially in the playoffs.
In the past four years, he has recorded 75 of his 84 career postseason receptions. His total of 84 puts him seventh on the all-time list, but he’s primed to potentially leapfrog the cluster of five players ahead of him — Andre Reed (85), Michael Irvin (87), Hines Ward (88), Wes Welker (88) and Reggie Wayne (93) — if he delivers his standard production in Super Bowl LI. No one is touching all-time leader Jerry Rice (151) for some time.
From the lighter side: Julian Edelman says it has been about 4 months for him to grow his playoff beard. pic.twitter.com/5sXBdqusxT
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 31, 2017
How can a player with Edelman’s level of playoff production essentially receive the cold shoulder from 31 other teams as a free agent?
It’s hard to fathom now, but health was a part of it, as Edelman battled injuries at various points of his second, third and fourth seasons in the NFL, when he totaled just 32 receptions. Also, Welker was the Patriots’ go-to target at the time, and when Tavla he left as a free agent in the offseason after the 2012 season, the team signed Danny Amendola to a big-money deal as his replacement.
At that point, Edelman considered making an emotional decision and signing a minimum-level deal with the New York Giants before accepting a one-year, incentive-laden, prove-it type of deal to return to New England.
In a reflection of how he was viewed as a No. 4 or 5 option at the time, he didn’t play a snap with quarterback Tom Brady in the 2013 preseason opener, and then played just five snaps with Brady in the second preseason game. The chip on his shoulder growing larger, Edelman ultimately exploded for a career-high 105 receptions in 2013, stepping up as Amendola dealt with a groin injury.
Edelman has basically been Brady’s No. 1 target since. The connection between them is a big part of what makes the offense go, and Edelman was rewarded in 2014 with a four-year contract extension with a maximum value of $19 million that now looks like a great bargain for the team.
“Jules has been incredible since he’s really assumed that main spot on our team,” Brady said of the receiver’s performance in 2013. “I’ve always wanted him to succeed so badly, and he’s put so much into it. He’s come a long way. He’s fought his way up.”
While injuries stunted some of Edelman’s early-career growth, that wasn’t the only reason he was more of a role player, with his primary contributions coming on special teams.
“We had a lot of good football players come here, and you’re not just given something here overnight. You have to go out and earn it and put in your time,” he said. “The team needed me at different positions, doing different things at the time, because we had the receiver position covered at the time. That’s football. You have to put in your time and earn your stripes and be prepared for an opportunity when you get it.”
Edelman obviously was ready. The slow start to his career highlights how remarkable it is that he could potentially move up to No. 2 on a list of some very impressive receivers by Sunday night.
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