Tom Brady favorite Julian Edelman agrees to extension with Patriots
Tom Brady seemingly wants to play forever, and his BFF might be right alongside him until the end.
New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman has agreed to a contract extension according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, making sure Brady’s most reliable target won’t be going anywhere. Edelman was entering the final year of his deal, and was slated to make $3 million. The deal is for two years, bringing Edelman through the 2019 season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the two-year extension was for $11 million with $9 million in guarantees and another $4 million in possible incentives, which could bring it to $15 million. That’s probably under market value for a receiver with Edelman’s résumé, but he’s clearly happy in New England.
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Edelman turned 30 last year but had one of his best seasons. He had 98 catches and set a career-best with 1,106 yards. He made one of the great catches in NFL history in his final game last season, an unbelievable fingertip catch that was one of the key highlights of the Patriots’ historic comeback to win Super Bowl LI.
That Edelman has become such an integral part of the Patriots’ dynasty is an unlikely tale. He was a college quarterback at Kent State, a seventh-round pick and an undersized slot receiver. Since his rookie season of 2009, he has 425 catches for 4,540 yards and has endeared himself to Patriots fans by coming up big in a few postseason games. His chemistry with Brady is one of the reasons the Patriots offense is consistently one of the best in the NFL.
Edelman is reaching the age in which receivers start to slow down, but the Patriots don’t seem concerned about that. In fact, he still is the best fit for New England’s soon-to-be 40-year-old quarterback.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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