Former Patriots Star Explains Why He’s Fan Of Division-Rival Jets

Over the course of Julian Edelman’s Patriots tenure, the former wide receiver relished the opportunities to go up against a certain opponent.

Edelman squared off with the Jets twice per season from his rookie campaign in 2009 through his NFL swan song in 2020. New England beat up on New York over that span, coming out on top in 19 of the 24 head-to-head matchups.

The Patriots’ longstanding success against Gang Green is why Edelman jokingly considers himself a Jets fan.

“Well any time we played, you’d get your best stats and a win,” Edelman said Friday on FS1’s “The Herd,” as transcribed by the New York Post. “And it’s like two wins because it’s a division win (which count extra in playoff tiebreakers).”

Edelman enjoyed some personal success against New York as well. The Super Bowl LIII MVP racked up a combined 79 catches for 855 yards with four touchdowns over 17 career games against the Jets.

New England’s success against its longtime rival didn’t stop after Edelman hung up his pads either. The Patriots swept the season series in the first two campaigns after Edelman announced his retirement in April 2021.

New England will try to stretch its winning streak against New York to 15 games on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.