Julian Edelman Talks HOF Resume: 'Hard to Get Stats' When Patriots Blew Everyone Out

Julian Edelman's Hall of Fame case has always divided opinion. On one hand, he was never a Pro Bowler or All-Pro selection and was never considered one of the truly great receivers of his time.

On the other hand, he was a fantastic postseason performer who won three titles with the New England Patriots and was named the Super Bowl LIII MVP. And Edelman believes he might have put up even better stats if the Patriots just weren't so darn good, as he told The Pat McAfee Show:

"That's for other people to decide, that's not what I decide. That's just how it works. You look at my regular season, I probably didn't have the numbers for it. Postseason, whatever, it's different. But people also don't understand is when you open the season with 30, 40 catches in the first three games, you've got to break tendencies. So then you don't see the rock for three games because we're trying to prepare for the playoffs. ... It's hard to get stats when you're blowing everyone out. It's hard to get stats when you're running it out in the second half."

Plenty of really good receivers consistently put up stats on excellent teams, so that argument is weak at best. And regardless of why Edelman didn't put up bigger numbers in the regular season, the fact remains that he registered just two seasons with 100 or more receptions in his career, three seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards and never managed a campaign with double-digit receiving touchdowns.

Edelman was a very good player in his time and a vital part of New England's dynasty. But he was never one of the best receivers of his generation, and his impact in other parts of the game like special teams (or even occasionally defense) weren't enough to give him the sort of boost he would need to reach Canton.