If Julian Edelman plays next year, you can probably guess where he’ll end up [UPDATE: HE RETIRED]

Update (5:48 p.m. Eastern): So, like, I saw this going differently in my head. Which is fine, it’s fine. Edelman announced on Twitter, roughly thirty minutes after I wrote this, that he is retiring from football. So we probably won’t be seeing him in Tampa next year, but hey. Gronk came back after a year off. Stranger things have happened. Here is his announcement:

The original article, published just before Edelman’s announcement, remains below.

The New England Patriots have cut long-time Tom Brady BFF Julian Edelman after a failed physical, and there is speculation that it may lead to his retirement.

Sure, that’s possible. Edelman, who will be 35 years old next month, has spent his entire career in New England, where he was drafted in 2009 and won three Super Bowl rings. He’s been at the center of a decade-plus of success and performed at an incredibly high level despite battling injuries.

A year after Tom Brady left town, Edelman played in the fewest games of any season in his career, making it onto the field for only six contests. He logged only 31 receptions in those games, for a total of 315 yards and zero touchdowns.

Edelman had surgery in October of 2020 for a knee injury, knocking him out for the rest of the season. Just over two months ago, Boston.com reported that Edelman wants to play in 2021, but isn’t sure if his knee would be healthy enough to do so.

I’m not sure if he’s going to retire or not – that’s Edelman’s decision. However, after seeing his good buddies Brady and Gronk have a rip roaring time in the Super Bowl and then chucking the trophy between boats during their celebratory parade, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him at least work out for the Buccaneers in the coming months.

For Edelman, it feels like it’s Brady or bust.