Julian Edelman on Possible NFL Comeback: ’Never Say Never’

The former Patriots receiver last played a snap in 2020.

Julian Edelman suggested that he could take a page out of the book of his former Patriots teammates Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski and un-retire if the right opportunity became available to him later this year. 

Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday, Edelman, who retired from the NFL before the 2021 season, said that he misses football this summer more than he did last year now that he’s had some time away from the game. 

“I miss it more this year than I did last year,” Edelman told Eisen on Tuesday. “I miss waking up in August, going to the field and smelling the fresh-cut grass, seeing the sprinklers just finished. Seeing our equipment guys just finishing setting all the stuff out. The locker room. The fellas. The competition.

“Now, being in my second year out, I can actually miss it because last year it was still ingrained in my head. That last year was rough. Football is not fun when you’re bruised—when you feel like s---.”

When Eisen followed up and asked if Edelman would entertain a return in some capacity, the Super Bowl LIII MVP admitted that he wouldn’t rule out coming back if a playoff-caliber team came calling later in the season.

“I’ll tell you right now, if I had three weeks, three maybe four weeks — beginning of the season, absolutely not,” Edelman said about a possible comeback. “But if there’s a team vying for a playoff run, guy goes down. Could I get ready? I probably could. … You can never say never.”

Now entering Retirement Year 2, we had to ask @Edelman11 how much he's missing football these days and if he gets a phone call from the 813 this fall, how much he'd entertain coming back:#NFL #NFLPreseason#GoBucs #Patriots pic.twitter.com/n9OBktszll

— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) August 16, 2022

Edelman, 36, retired from football due to a lingering knee injury that limited him to just six games during the 2020 season. He left the NFL after 12 seasons, all of which he spent with the Patriots, and three Super Bowl championships.

Edelman has teased fans in the past about possibly coming out of retirement, but his latest comments certainly seem to leave the door open for a return. For now, he told Eisen that he remains committed to being an analyst on Paramount+’s Inside the NFL” and the launch his new podcast, Games With Names.

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