Packer Central

Edelman a Hall of Famer? Not Before This Guy

The debate over Julian Edelman being a Hall of Famer is a comical one considering the credentials of Sterling Sharpe.

Bill Huber

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Julian Edelman retired on Monday and immediately went to Canton to get fitted for his Hall of Fame gold jacket.

“Hell yeah!” said NFL.com’s Steve Smith, who will be Hall of Fame eligible in 2022. “When I think of Edelman, I think of a hard-nosed, tougher-than-snot wide receiver who played far above his draft standing throughout his career. When the Patriots needed to move the chains and Tom Brady needed a target, No. 11 always answered the call. Most important, he always showed up in the postseason. I'm not so sure the Patriots win Super Bowl LI or LIII without him; that's how much of a playmaker he was in those games. The sizable impact he had on the Patriots' dynasty over the last decade-plus should earn him a spot in football immortality.”

Tyler Dunne, a former Packers beat writer and founder of Go Long, sided with Edelman being a Hall of Famer, as did draft analyst Matt Miller, among others.

Nonsense.

There’s a long line of receivers more worthy than Edelman – a list that includes former Green Bay Packers great Sterling Sharpe.

In a career cut short after just seven seasons due to injury, Sharpe caught 595 passes for 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns. He started all 112 games, and was a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. Sharpe set the NFL single-season record for receptions with 108 in 1992, then broke it with 112 receptions in 1993.

Edelman played 12 NFL seasons and caught 620 passes for 6,822 yards and 36 touchdowns. He started 85 games (27 fewer than Sharpe in five more seasons), and never was selected for a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team. Sharpe had 42 touchdowns in his final three seasons – more than Edelman in his entire career.

“I think what made (Sharpe) so special,” former Packers general manager Ron Wolf told Talk of Fame Network’s Clark Judge, “was he was really tough and really dedicated to the game in his way. He was not intimidated by anything … or anybody … or any situation. He’s a perfect football player. I don’t know what else to add to that.

“He could do everything you would want a receiver to do. He would go anywhere to catch a ball. He would go in and catch it. He would go out and catch it. He would run hooks, run outs, run ups. He was just an exceptional football player.”

Sharpe’s 20 years of Hall of Fame eligibility ended without even becoming a semifinalist. His case will now fall to the Coach/Seniors Committee, where his chances for election are somewhere between slim and none given the backlog of players who enjoyed longer, more productive careers.

Edelman was a high-quality player who was great in some key moments for the New England dynasty. Only Jerry Rice has more receptions and receiving yards in NFL playoffs history. He topped 90 receptions four times. Those are pretty good credentials. But he also fell short of 40 receptions five times, never started more than 13 games and never scored more than seven touchdowns.

Edelman was a good player on an exceptional team. Sharpe was an exceptional player on a team that was sometimes good.

“I’m sure every defensive coordinator that got ready to play the Packers said, ‘All we have to do is take Sharpe away, and we’ll beat them.’ Well, you know what? They never took him away. He led the league in receptions,” Wolf told Judge. “He was just a tremendous football player. Hard to believe that he was as good as he was, considering what he had around him as a team.”

Ultimately, neither had the sustained production to merit a gold bust in Canton. If Sharpe’s not good enough for the Hall of Fame, then Edelman sure as hell isn’t, either.

Get to Know the Top Draft Prospects

Packer Central is introducing you to the top prospects, both on and off the field, in this year’s NFL Draft. The series is starting with the top five at each position.

DT1: Alabama's Christian Barmore

DT2: Washington's Levi Onwuzurike

DT3: UCLA's Osa Odighizuwa

DT4: Louisiana Tech's Milton Williams

DT5: Iowa's Dayvion Nixon

OT1: Oregon's Penei Sewell

OT2: Northwestern Rashawn Slater

OT3: Virginia Tech's Christian Darrisaw

OT4: Oklahoma State's Teven Jenkins

OT5: Texas' Samuel Cosmi

OG1: USC's Alijah Vera-Tucker

OG2: Ohio State's Wyatt Davis

OG3: Tennessee's Trey Smith

OG4: Alabama's Alex Leatherwood

OG5: Illinois' Kendrick Green

OC1: Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey

OC2: UW-Whitewater’s Quinn Meinerz

OC3: Ohio State’s Josh Myers

OC4: Alabama’s Landon Dickerson

OC5: Pittsburgh’s Jimmy Morrissey

WR1: LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase

WR2: Alabama’s DeVonta Smith

WR3: Florida’s Kadarius Toney

WR4: Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman

WR5: LSU’s Terrace Marshall

RB1: Alabama’s Najee Harris

RB2: Clemson’s Travis Etienne

RB3: North Carolina’s Javonte Williams

RB4: Memphis’ Kenneth Gainwell

RB5: North Carolina’s Michael Carter

QB1: Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence

QB2: Ohio State’s Justin Fields

QB3: BYU’s Zach Wilson

QB4: North Dakota State’s Trey Lance

QB5: Alabama’s Mac Jones

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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