Julian Edelman and Patriots finally talking extension


The Patriots have until Tuesday to sign their own free-agents to extensions. Really, they kind of have until tomorrow when legal tampering begins.

So, the clock is ticking on the Patriots and wide receiver Julian Edelman. After no rumors of the two sides meeting all off-season, it appears they are starting to finally get things rolling.



Edelman, largely regarded as a slot receiver, was undoubtedly the Patriots' best weapon last season. With Rob Gronkowski missing most of the season either recovering from arm/back surgery or from a torn ACL, it was the former seventh round pick Quarterback turned wide receiver turned punt returner turned cornerback turned number 1 wide receiver that was Tom Brady's favorite guy to throw to. Julian Edelman ended the season with better numbers than Wes Welker, the man he'd spent his entire NFL career watching from the bench. Edelman's 105 receptions, 1056 yards, and six touchdowns were all by far his career highs. 37 receptions in his rookie year were his best to that point.

This all from a guy that no one really wanted the season before. Edelman couldn't get on the field because that would mean taking Wes Welker off, and when he did get on the field (notably in 2012 with him becoming a bigger part of the offense) he couldn't stay healthy.

So, he visited with the Giants last year but eventually settled on a bare minimum salary with the Patriots, earning just $715,000 for his breakout year.

He'll be looking at an upgrade for sure in this off-season, but will it be all that significant? Last year showed what the market for slot receivers was, and Wes Welker settled on a two year, $12 million deal to sign with a contender in Denver.

That is what one of the best slot receivers in the game got. It is not what Edelman, coming off one good season, is likely to get. At least from a contending team without lots of cap space to waste. The general consensus is that Edelman could be looking at $5 million a year. I would guess it would be more like $3 or $4 million, given Edelman's limited experience and his history of injuries.

Knowing the Patriots, they'll probably be in line with what the market will be paying, and won't look to overpay Edelman just to retain him. Certainly, given their $12 million in cap space and a possible Talib deal in the range of $8 million, they can't afford to.

Re-signing Julian Edelman might also hinder the Patriots offense once again, seeing as they still have the similar Danny Amendola on the team. Amendola is scheduled to hit the cap for $4,575,000 in 2014. They can save a whole lot of that by cutting him and designating him as a post-June 1st cut.

Retaining both Edelman and Amendola really locks the Patriots into last year's slot receiver armada that didn't work so well.

There are still moves to be made to clear up more cap space (Cutting Dan Connolly, Tommy Kelly, Isaac Sopoaga, Adrian Wilson) but the clock is ticking to get a deal done.

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4 likely destinations for Julian Edelman

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