New England Patriots rumors: All in on a Julian Edelman comeback!

Could a New England Patriots legend be the remedy to the team’s current offensive struggles?

While Mac Jones is trying to figure things out to avoid a Year 2 setback, there is a former veteran receiver not ruling out a comeback.  Of course, we are talking about Julian Edelman.

After enjoying retired life for a year, the 36-year-old Edelman appears to have that itch back.  But is it enough to get back on the football field?  Well, the man has been hinting the past few months and added some fuel to the fire during a recent appearance on Chris Long’s “Green Light” podcast.

Julian Edelman teases a return, but would it be with the New England Patriots?

Edelman, who had a total of 13 receptions for 236 yards in his last two games in a Patriots’ uniform, revealed he feels stronger now than he did at the end of his career.

"“People don’t realize it’s not like, especially when you’re older, you can’t just work out for a week, take a Gatorade shake, take a conditioning test and get ready for (expletive) 18 weeks of football,” Edelman said, as transcribed by WEEI.  “It’s a huge mind commitment, and you can’t dip your toe in.  You’ve got to dive into that thing.”"

It looks like the former Patriots wideout has been doing more than dipping his toe in, it really does seem like he is in full dive mode.  The question is, will he attempt a return with his old team or will he join Tom Brady down in Tampa Bay.  If he does so, it will go against everything he has said since his retirement.  Unlike Brady and another former teammate, Rob Gronkowski, Edelman appears very committed to the organization and Bill Belichick.

In fact, if Edelman did return and ended up down in Tampa, it would be due to Belichick not feeling there is a spot for the feisty receiver, and we all know that wouldn’t bode well amongst New England Patriots fans if the offense is struggling and Edelman makes himself available.

Could Julian Edelman be ready for the New England Patriots by midseason?

As far as that availability, Edelman says he is at the beginning stages of a potential comeback, so by the middle of the NFL season, he might just be ready and available if Mac Jones and the Patriots need a jolt or even a redirection.

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"“I’m doing things where I’m in the beginning stage of, like, an offseason-ish, just kind of feeling out my body and feeling out my legs.  I’ve had some downtime.  My body feels good,” Edelman continued.  “there’s some deficiencies here and there, but I feel extremely better than I did the last year-and-a-half of my career.  I don’t know if it’s fool’s gold just because I haven’t been compounding loadage.  That’s why you get interested, so you kick it up a little bit here and there and you analyze.  You don’t make decisions.  And that’s what I’m doing.”"

Julian Edelman can have all the mental readiness in the world for a return, but his body will tell if all this talk is even realistic.  It could turn out that he realizes a return is not on the table, but just the potential of a veteran like Edelman in that Patriots offense would be huge for a young quarterback like Mac Jones.  Not only could he be that security blanket for Jones, but he could also serve as a coach on the field.

This is no knock on DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor or even Jakobi Meyers, but Edelman’s vision on the field and his ability to get open and then make things happen after the catch would take a lot of pressure off Jones.

Of course, this is the Julian Edelman of 2019 we are thinking of.  But, even if he is a healthier version of 2020 before retirement, the former Patriots receiver would give Mac Jones an outlet he certainly hasn’t had thus far in his career.