Julian Edelman had no choice but to be honest with himself at the tail end of his NFL career.
Edelman was limited to six games in the 2020 season due to a knee injury, but there surely was some motivation in place for the wide receiver to return for the next campaign. The NFL was going back to a "normal" setting after COVID-19 took a stranglehold on the league and the Patriots were set up to have a new, exciting young quarterback under center.
But a few weeks before the 2021 NFL Draft, Edelman elected to call it quits. During a recent appearance on "The Ryen Russillo Podcast," the Super Bowl champion shed light on the final straw in that life-altering decision.
"Atrocious. That's honestly why I retired," Edelman said when asked about watching film of himself, as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston. "When you start looking old -- it's not even just the games, it's the practices, the body language. I mean, I wanted to throw up. That's why I had to retire."
Edelman added: "When you're a younger player -- I remember you play a couple guys and they're in their absolute prime when you're still trying to figure things out. And then you figure things out and it's like four or five years later, and that guy that you still are battling who was a badass dude has diminished -- that's blood in the water. I'm going to embarrass him every time. I'm going to try to light him up, because I remember how hard it was and how he used to embarrass me.
"The blood was in the water. Guys were going to come after me. I had to get out."
Edelman has teased getting back in the NFL on occasion since last spring. But given the Patriots great's clear respect for the game coupled with his cushy media gigs, we don't see Edelman ever strapping the pads back on.
