Julian Edelman, Patriots Reportedly Agree to Contract Extension

The New England Patriots and wide receiver Julian Edelman agreed to a multiyear contract extension Thursday that should keep him with the team for the remainder of his prime. 

Edelman's new contract will last through the 2019 campaign, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the deal is worth $11 million, with $9 million in guarantees. The 31-year-old was previously scheduled to make a base salary of $3 million in 2017, the final season of his four-year, $17 million contract that began in 2014.

Edelman recorded 98 receptions for 1,103 yards and three touchdowns during the 2016 regular season. It was his second career 1,000-yard campaign and third time in the last four seasons he caught at least 90 passes.

A former seventh-round pick who spent most of his first four seasons near the bottom of New England's depth chart, Edelman has become Tom Brady's favorite underneath target over the past four years. He set a career high with 158 targets in 2016 and helped keep moving the chains after tight end Rob Gronkowski suffered a season-ending back injury.

The most memorable moment of Edelman's career came in New England's Super Bowl LI win over the Atlanta Falcons, when he made a seemingly impossible shoestring catch off a deflection in the fourth quarter. The grab would help the Patriots mount the largest comeback win in Super Bowl history. Edelman finished the game with five receptions for 87 yards.