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Tom Brady has his favorite target back. According to multiple reports (Nick Underhill was first, Ian Rapoport four seconds later), the Patriots and Julian Edelman have agreed to terms that will bring "minitron" back to New England.
On the eve of free agency, the New England Patriots offered Julian Edelman a three year deal. Edelman turned it down, as he thought he could do better on the open market.
The Patriots value Edelman highly, but also know the market for slot receivers. Edelman was likely looking for something close to what Danny Amendola received last offseason, but didn't get it and thought another team might bite. As it happened, the market for slot receivers was soft once again and Edelman's potential landing spots by the day. The Ravens picked up Steve Smith. The Browns signed Andrew Hawkins to a lucrative offer sheet.
All along, the Patriots and Edelman remained in contact, and now they get a deal done. There are no specifics on the deal yet, but original reports had the Patriots offering three years. Perhaps they upped things a bit to get things done, but we should probably see details shortly.
With Edelman back in the fold, he joins a receiving corps that has little turnover from 2013. Edelman is joined by veteran slot receiver Danny Amendola, and second year receivers Aaron Dobson, Kenbrell Thompkins, and Josh Boyce.