Julian Edelman can breathe a sigh of relief... for now.
Receiver DeVante Parker on Wednesday posted a photo of himself wearing a No. 11 Patriots jersey, leading many to assume he will wear Edelman's old number this season. Edelman, who retired after the 2020 campaign, offered a light-hearted reaction to the news.
Parker wore No. 11 during his seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he wears the number in New England, too. However, nothing is set in stone.
"I'm not sure yet," Parker said when asked about it Thursday morning. "It's just something... numbers haven't been certified yet, what number I'm gonna get. That's just the number I have right now. So, we'll have to wait and see really."
Believe it or not, the Patriots haven't retired a number since 2000, when it took Bruce Armstrong's No. 78 off the board. Tom Brady's No. 12 likely will join that list once the legendary quarterback finally retires from the NFL.
Here's the full list of retired Patriots numbers:
-- No. 89, Bob Dee
-- No. 79, Jim Lee Hunt
-- No. 78, Bruce Armstrong
-- No. 73, John Hannah
-- No. 57, Steve Nelson
-- No. 40, Mike Haynes
-- No. 20, Gino Cappelletti
-- No. 56, Andre Tippett (unofficially retired)
Will Edelman someday see his number retired in New England? Perhaps, but for now, there seemingly is no reason why Parker shouldn't be able to wear No. 11 while playing for the Patriots.
