Published 15:13 IST, April 22nd 2020
Will Julian Edelman follow Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski to Tampa Bay? NFL fans speculate
Rob Gronkowski stunned fans by opting to come out of retirement to join the Buccaneers. Fans are wondering if Julian Edelman could also be on his way to Tampa.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers once again made headlines after they agreed to a trade for Rob Gronkowski with New England Patriots. Gronkowski opted to come out of his retirement, but instead of playing for New England, the tight end will be reuniting with Tom Brady at the Buccaneers. With the trade now officially confirmed, two of the cornerstones in Patriots' previous three Super Bowl wins will be plying their trade in Tampa Bay. Unsurprisingly, NFL fans think a third Patriots member could soon be on his way to the Buccaneers - wide receiver, Julian Edelman.
edelman after seeing brady & gronk reuniting in tampa pic.twitter.com/vsVi5lxU2A
— pete rogers (@petemrogers) April 21, 2020
Also Read | Julian Edelman Trade: Edelman To Escape Charges Following Patriots Star's Arrest In January: Report
Rob Gronkowski to Bucs: Julian Edelman trade soon?
Having played his entire career at New England, Edelman has played over 150 games for the Patriots. However, at 33, experts suggest Patriots might be looking to engineer a trade for the wide receiver in exchange for young talent. While no reports indicate Bill Belichick and co are indeed looking to get Julian Edelman off their books, fans on social media are convinced that a trade could be on the cards for Edelman.
Here are some of the reactions towards the Julian Edelman trade rumours after the Rob Gronkowski traded by Patriots news.
.@Edelman11 right now pic.twitter.com/tPUwVoa8SL
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) April 21, 2020
Live look-in at Julian Edelman: pic.twitter.com/E2RuzcAQ3M
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 21, 2020
Julian Edelman trying to get into Tampa Bay’s organization right now: pic.twitter.com/py7BoFaN6I
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) April 21, 2020
Julian Edelman trade: Edelman unlikely to follow Rob Gronkowski to Bucs
However, after losing two of the key stars of the previous decade, losing a third might not be the ideal option for the Patriots. Despite approaching the twilight stage of his career, Julian Edelman still remains a key cog for head coach Bill Belichick, per reports. Moreover, Patriots do not boast too many options at wide receiver. Alongside Julian Edelman, N'Keal Harry, Mohamed Sanu, Damiere Byrd, Jakobi Meyers and Matthew Slater are the wide receivers currently on the Patriots' roster.
Also Read | Rob Gronkowski Traded To Buccanneers, Will Ditch NFL Retirement To Reunite With Tom Brady
On the other end of the spectrum, Tampa Bay boasts two of the best wide receivers in the NFL in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Furthermore, Buccaneers have already spent a major chunk of the cap space in acquiring Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. Brady is reportedly set to earn $50 million guaranteed over the next two years while Gronkowski will reportedly earn $9.25 million this season.
According to Over The Cap, Buccaneers are heading into the 2020 NFL Draft with just $5 million in salary-cap space. This casts further doubts on whether the Buccaneers could afford to sign Julian Edelman without losing one of their key stars.
Also Read | Did Tom Brady Convince Rob Gronkowski To Come Out Of NFL Retirement; Rob Gronkowski Traded To Bucs
15:13 IST, April 22nd 2020