Julian Edelman Supports Mac Jones; Shuts Down New England Patriots Kirk Cousins Trade Rumor
It looks like Julian Edelman got out just in time.
The 37-year-old is three years from his final NFL game with the New England Patriots. Save for that final year, the team's first without Tom Brady in over two decades, Edelman never had to worry about who was throwing him the ball, becoming one of the arguable GOAT's favorite targets.
Edelman's successors, alas for Foxborough, have not been afforded a similar luxury: while hardly as hot as his head coach's chair, his seat is similarly scorching as the Patriots (1-5) work through their most dire start since 1995. Jones' struggles have led many to hypothesize about the team's next franchise quarterback, with some suggesting current Minnesota thrower Kirk Cousins.
The active Viking is also working through a trying start to the year. His team sits at 2-4 and three games behind Detroit for the NFC North lead. That's hardly the fault of Cousins, who stands as the NFL's touchdown pass leader alongside Miami's Tua Tagovailoa (14). Cousins can hit the free agency market next season at no cap penalty for the Vikings, leading some to believe that Minnesota could try to get something for him in an increasingly lost season before the trade deadline on Oct. 31.
But Edelman, appearing on Von Miller's "Voncast," believes that New England should stand pat with Jones ... though his reasoning was hardly a full, lasting endorsement of the 2021 first-round pick.
“I would stick it out,” Edelman told the Buffalo Bills linebacker. “They’re not going pay Kirk next year. You’d rent Kirk Cousins if you had a shot unless you want to pay him for the next few years. I think you've got to stick with Mac."
Julian Edelman is against the Patriots trading Mac Jones for the Vikings' Kirk Cousins.
Edelman's continued comments, if anything, give the Patriots something to play for as drift further and further from the AFC playoff picture. He believe that Jones should be granted a chance to work through these difficult, consequence-free games.
“This is where you see his mental toughness," Edelman explained. "When things aren’t at (their) best, a lot of characteristics come out of people, and that’s kind of when you want to evaluate them because that’s when you know you got a dog or not.”
Jones was at the offensive helm for two of the most dreary offensive performances in recent New England memory: following the traditional win over the New York Jets in Week 3, Jones was removed from each of the next two games against Dallas and New Orleans. In those games, Jones threw for only 260 yards and mustered only three points. He slightly improved against the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend (24-of-33, 200 yards, and an interception) but that didn't save from a 21-17 defeat.
Alas for Jones and his future, the road ahead gets no easier: they face those who succeeded them as the class of the AFC East in back-to-back weeks, including the Buffalo Bills on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS). They'll then face the Miami Dolphins in South Beach.
