Julian Edelman Found This Patriots Report To Be ‘Very Weird’

Julian Edelman was a bit taken aback by a recent Patriots news leak.

Prior to New England's Week 7 win over the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium, word got out that Bill Belichick agreed to a new contract over the NFL offseason. Details about the deal were limited, but the pact reportedly is both "lucrative" and "long-term."

In addition to the lack of specifics about the reported contract, the significance of the deal as it rates to Belichick's future in Foxboro, Mass. is unclear. Nonetheless, Edelman was surprised to see the contract news reach the masses.

"Historically, nobody ever knew anything about coach's contract,” Edelman said Friday on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," as transcribed by Clutch Points. "There's three people in the world that do, Mr. (Robert) Kraft, Jonathan Kraft and Bill. No one else knows anything, no one talks of anything. ...It was very weird for me to hear that because no one talks about the contract. It's the biggest mystery in sports."

Again, we probably shouldn't take the Belichick contract report as confirmation that the 71-year-old will be coaching in New England beyond this season. Ownership reportedly has discussed the possibility of moving on from Belichick, who also could consider retirement after working in the NFL for nearly five decades.

But if nothing else, Edelman's point about straying from the norm at One Patriots Place offers a reminder that times are changing in New England.