Patriots News: Julian Edelman ‘done’, Ryan Wendell, and Kyle Van Noy
Well, its officially time to put those Julian Edelman coming out of retirement rumors to rest as the former New England Patriots wide receiver has made it official that he is staying retired.
With all eyes on Tom Brady possibly returning for a 24th NFL season, there has been some speculation that Edelman would come out of retirement to play with his pal, especially if Brady were to return to the Patriots.
Former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is done with football
Well, during an appearance on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, Julian Edelman put all rumors and speculation to rest.
"“I’m done, boys,” Edelman said, as transcribed by NESN. “You can’t be two years out of the game coming in at 37 with knee braces and taped ankles thinking you’re going to go out here and compete against these young bucks…. I’ve definitely got, like, seven, eight plays a game, but…”"
Edelman, who retired in 2021, has teased a return prior and even during the 2022 NFL season, but it is obvious now that desire has faded.
With that said, if there is any 37-year-old who can come out of retirement and compete, it is Julian Edelman…bad knees and all. But, at the same time it is good that the future Patriots Hall-of-Famer and potentially NFL Hall-of-Famer is putting his body first.
Patriots interview Super Bowl champion for offensive line coach
Now that the New England Patriots have officially announced Bill O’Brien as the offensive coordinator, the search is on to upgrade at another area on the team where coaching was lacking and that is offensive line coach.
As disappointing as the play calling was in 2022, the lack of execution started along the offensive line where talented players like Isaiah Wynn, Trent Brown and 2022 first-round pick Cole Strange struggled at times. Another area Matt Patricia failed; the Patriots are reportedly bringing in old friend Ryan Wendell for an interview.
The Patriots are flying Bills assistant Ryan Wendell to Vegas (the coaches are at the Shrine Game) to interview for their OL coach job, per sources. Wendell played in New England from 2008-15.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 27, 2023
Wendell was a reserve OL during new Pats OC Bill O'Brien's first stint in Foxboro.
The current Buffalo Bills assistant was a team caption for the Patriots in 2015 and of course won a Super Bowl with the team in his seven seasons playing under Bill Belichick. This would be a good move for the Patriots for two reasons.
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Wendell was coached by one of the best in Dante Scarnecchia and he is a former player and team captain who can help reinstall some of the culture inside the locker room that seemed to be missing the last couple of seasons.
Patriots hype: Kyle Van Noy back to New England…again?
Could veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy follow the footsteps of Jamie Collins and return to Foxborough for a third stint?
Well, if it was up to master Twitter recruiter Matthew Judon the answer would be yes.
During a recent exchange on Twitter post by Van Noy, Judon said he wished he could attend a public appearance event in California KVN was making. In the comments Van Noy asked Judon to help him find a new home as he is a pending free agent this offseason.
Patriots’ safety Adrian Phillips replied with the classic googly eyes emoji. Along with Judon’s back and forth, it appears the veteran leaders would welcome Van Noy back with open arms.
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Of course, any reunion in New England will depend on Bill Belichick, but adding another veteran who knows the system and the culture to the roster is never a bad thing. With the emergence of Josh Uche, having Van Noy back as a depth piece is never a bad thing.
As usual, we will see how free agency plays out.