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Julian Edelman stepped away from the game of football prior to the 2021 NFL season after 11 seasons with the New England Patriots, ending his career as one of the greats in New England franchise history.
In his final season, Edelman played in just six games as he dealt with a knee injury, later failing a physical that caused the Patriots to terminate his contract.
New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman returns a kick in warm-ups before a game against the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 25, 2020, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
But Edelman says there's another reason he chose to retire after the 2020 season — he started to look old on film.
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"Atrocious. That’s honestly why I retired," Edelman said on "The Ryen Russillo" podcast. "When you start looking old — and it’s not even just the games. It’s the practices, the body language … I wanted to throw up. That’s why I had to retire."
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"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," Edelman continued. "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 bad--- dude has diminished. That’s blood in the water."
New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman makes a catch before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 27, 2020, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"The blood was in the water. Guys were going to come after me. I had to get out," he said.
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Edelman is second all-time in catches, fourth in receiving yards and ninth in touchdowns in New England history. He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, taking home the 2018 Super Bowl MVP.
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Edelman told Russillo that as soon as he realized that he no longer could play at the level he was accustomed to, it was time to hang it up.
Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots is shown prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on October 25, 2020. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
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"I love the game too much," Edelman said. "And I have that taste at the high level. When you feel that, and you taste that, and you’ve worked all your life to get there and stay there. Once you see it go, you’re like, 'Yeah, this ain’t me. I can’t do that.'"
Edelman did say that there’s at least a small chance he unretires, telling Russillo that "a lot of things would have to happen" in order for him to seriously consider a comeback.