Julian Edelman knew the end had come when he decided to retire just before the 2021 NFL Draft.
He only played six games in 2020 due to a knee injury and wasn’t the same after it. In those six games, Edelman confirmed that his play was terrible and knew that he had to call it quits.
“Atrocious. That’s honestly why I retired,” Edelman said via NESN. “When you start looking old — it’s not even just the games, it’s the practices, the body language. I mean, I wanted to throw up. That’s why I had to retire.”
He also added that players were going to come after him so he knew it was the perfect time to leave.
He won four Super Bowls and racked up 620 receptions for 6,822 yards and 36 touchdowns in his 11-year career.
Edelman has flirted with returning to the NFL in the past, but based on this answer, it doesn’t look to be in the cards.
The next stop for him might be the Pro Football Hall of Fame.