Julian Edelman was terrific, but not a Hall of Famer
Julian Edelman enjoyed a tremendous 12-year career with the New England Patriots, but the notion of him being a Hall of Famer is wild.
Don’t disrespect Julian Edelman and his accomplishments. Just don’t overemphasize them either.
Edelman, 35, retired from pro football on Monday. He was injured much of 2020 with chronic knee issues, which finally forced him from the game. All told, only Jerry Rice has more postseason receptions than Edelman.
In the regular season, though, Edelman’s 620 catches, 6,822 yards and 36 touchdowns are decidedly good, but not great. Yet because Edelman was an integral part of the Patriots winning three Super Bowls, there are those who believe he should be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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He should not be.
Edelman’s career was memorable and the player was clutch. He came up big in the biggest moments, even winning Super Bowl MVP in New England’s victory over the Los Angeles in 2018. He was a brilliant player when it was demanded, and that counts for a plenty.
However, Edelman never made an All-Pro team. He never made a Pro Bowl. He caught the same amount of touchdown passes as Jake Reed, who played for the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints, and most of you are googling his name right now.
There’s a legion of other players who have inarguably better stats who haven’t gotten near the Hall of Fame. Without drowning you in stats, think of men like Henry Ellard, Hines Ward and Harold Jackson. All three were tremendous players and Ward has a pair of Super Bowl rings. Still, none have ever had any serious consideration to this juncture.
The main argument for Edelman is his rings. How many receivers have won three titles for such an iconic team? Many will bring up Rice for the San Francisco 49ers, and the duo of John Stallowrth and Lynn Swann for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the ’70s.
However, the far better comparison is Rice’s running mate, John Taylor.
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Taylor also won three Super Bowls, doing so with the Niners in ’88, ’89 and ’94. He caught 347 passes for 5,598 yards — both less than Edelman — but also notched 43 regular-season touchdowns with a pair of Pro Bowl berths. Importantly, he was also named to the HOF 1980s All-Decade Team.
In an era when teams threw much less, and on an offense with Jerry Rice, Taylor still put up comparable numbers and in some cases, better ones. He’ll never sniff the Hall of Fame.
On Monday, Julian Edelman walked away. He’ll be forever remembered, a long shot from Kent State who became a mainstay in Foxboro. He’ll be in the Patriots Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor, and rightfully so.
There’s much to celebrate without going through the hysterics of making him more than he was. There’s plenty of actual greatness to appreciate.
