Bill Parcells, Julian Edelman Join Patriots' Hall of Fame, Tom Brady Appears on Video

The New England Patriots added former head coach Bill Parcells and wide receiver Julian Edelman to their Hall of Fame, and Tom Brady was among the legends who contributed to the festivities.

Parcells and Edelman were the two inductees in the Pats' 2025 class.

Brady and former tight end Rob Gronkowski were unable to attend the event in person but sent video messages praising Edelman's contributions.

"There's nobody who is more deserving and who embodies what it means to be a Patriot more than you," Brady said. "The toughness, the competitiveness, the relentless drive you brought every day to work. Everybody saw the catches on Sundays, but what I got to see were all the hours that nobody else did. All the late nights. The film sessions."

Gronkowski called Edelman "one of the fiercest competitors and most clutch performers I have ever played with."

The retired wideout had 620 receptions for 6,822 yards and 36 touchdowns in 11 seasons with New England. He ranks second in catches and fourth in yards in franchise history.

Edelman's work in the playoffs is what catapulted him to legendary status. A three-time champion, he averaged 75.9 yards per game in the postseason, and he hauled in one of the most impressive grabs in Super Bowl history in New England's comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.

Parcells, meanwhile, delivered an AFC title in 1996. The Patriots went 11-5 that year before coming up short against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. At the time, it was only the second time they had won the conference.

Parcells' impact went beyond his tenure as he set the table for the dynasty Bill Belichick eventually built.

During his induction, the 84-year-old lamented the way his New England tenure ended in January 1997.

"We sometimes reflect on things, and you wish you would have done things a little differently," he said, per ESPN's Mike Reiss. "I come back here and I see this, I wish I would have done things a little differently."

Team owner Bob Kraft has also moved on from whatever bad blood he had toward Parcells.

"Over the years, we've both mellowed," he said Saturday. "We've shared laughs, swapped stories and reflected on the foundation we built together. I want to say, 'Thank you, Bill. Thank you for the fire. Thank you for the fight. Thank you for the foundation. And thank you for the many contributions you made to this franchise.'"

Getting a spot in the Patriots Hall of Fame allows Parcells to have his legacy there placed within its proper context.