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Julian Edelman has retired from the NFL, but one of his former New England Patriots teammates doesn't believe that the veteran wide receiver is done playing football.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski told TMZ.com that Julian Edelman has a 69% chance of returning to the sport. Gronkowski is no stranger to surprise comebacks. He retired at the end of the 2019 NFL season but returned just a year later to join Tom Brady at Tampa Bay.
Rob Gronkowski's comments have everyone speculating as he's not only a former teammate of Edelman, but also a close friend of the recently retired star.
If Edelman does come back, will he join his former teammates in Tampa Bay to chase one more ring before he calls it a career for good?
NFL Rumors: Will Julian Edelman come back and play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
As of right now, Rob Gronkowski's comment is just speculation and doesn't hold much truth to it. Julian Edelman is retired and will most likely stay retired. His body has taken a beating over the last 12 years.
However, there's one person who could potentially drag him out of retirement. Former teammate and close friend Tom Brady is the only guy who can call Edelman and talk him into joining the Buccaneers. Brady brought Gronkowski out of retirement and has a good enough relationship with Edelman to bring him back as well.
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If Julian Edelman does come back, what does that say about the New England Patriots?
If Edelman comes back to join Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, it's perhaps an indictment of the tasking culture inside the Patriots organization. Both Gronk and Edelman were under contract when they retired. Brady used free agency to leave the Patriots.
Ultimately Julian Edelman wants to get healthy and he's not going to be able to do that if he comes out of retirement. Edelman said he wanted to play "till the wheels fell off" and he knew that once that happened, it was time to walk away for good.
The wide receiver gave many hints during his speech that point to him staying retired.
Gronkowski's comments are more tongue-in-cheek than an actual prediction. That's why the media cannot buy into his 69% chance of Edelman returning to the NFL.
