The debates started immediately after he announced his retirement: Is Julian Edelman a Hall of Famer? The New England Patriots’ version will certainly see him get enshrined on the first possible date, but the more prestigious Pro Football counterpart is a steeper hill to climb — one that seems unlikely to be conquered by Edelman any time soon.
Nonetheless, one former teammates feels good about his chances.
“I definitely think he has a great possibility to be a Hall of Famer,” said Rob Gronkowski during a recent assault by interview with TMZ. “He’s a beast. And the numbers just don’t show everything that he brings to the table. The attitude, the competitiveness that he has.”
Gronkowski and Edelman arrived in New England in back-to-back years, with the tight end joining the organization as a second-rounder in 2010 — one year after Edelman was added as a seventh-round pick. They spent nine seasons together before Gronkowski left the Patriots, first to retirement then to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Until that point, both played a big role in helping the club win three Super Bowls. Now, they are both gone even though Gronkowski feels confident that Edelman’s retirement will only be temporary like his.
“He’ll be back,” said Gronkowski.
How sure is he of that? He put the chances of Edelman coming out of retirement to play for the Buccaneers at 69 percent.