Buccaneers: Door not closed on WR Julian Edelman

Julian Edelman and the Buccaneers are a repeat of the same old story.

“Julian Edelman isn’t coming to the Buccaneers.”

“Tom Brady isn’t going to come to Tampa. Plus, we don’t need him anyway.”

“Gronk is going to un-retire and then request a trade to the Bucs? Get out of here.”

“AB is not coming to this team. If he does, he will destroy the locker room.”

It feels like we have to write this every few months, and the sentiment always remains; emotional Bucs fans are usually not the best judges of whether or not their team will or should make a move for a certain player.

This is the same fanbase that is split on whether or not Jameis Winston is a Hall of Famers vs. not worthy of playing on a college team. Perhaps there is a middle ground that exists where we can all just be happy with the fact that the team is no longer a laughing stock and is actually winning football games.

Julian Edelman is not the best receiver available. There are plenty of options across the NFL that are better free agents; bringing back Antonio Brown should still be a priority, the draft has tons of athletes, and the Bucs even have two great young receivers on their roster already.

The question is not if Edelman is a good player, which he is. The true question is if the Bucs will make a run at one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets from the course of his career. That point is much easier to evaluate.

While Edelman, at his peak, is the third-best receiver on the roster right now, the right contract would make this deal a no-brainer. With 100 catches a year ago and a decent start to the 2020 season before an injury, Edelman is far from a “washed” receiver. The days of 100 catches are likely over, but there is still plenty of space on the Bucs for Brady to add another receiver.

The chemistry between Edelman and Brady is evident, the Buccaneers have shown a clear willingness to target past their prime players, and the trip to Tampa already worked great for two former Patriot greats. Edelman would be more of the same.

After a long and productive NFL career, Edelman could very well be done with the game. Injuries and the demanding nature of the sport can make it hard to persevere at times. In the end, this decision boils down to desire. Edelman will likely let his retirement news sit for a while as he contemplates his future, but Brady has a way of pulling guys where he goes.

Let’s just say nothing is out of the question for now.

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