ESPN's Sal Paolantonio Will Vote For Julian Edelman For Hall Of Fame
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Julian Edelman Hall of Fame debate has surely lit up the internet this week, as seemingly everybody has a strong opinion on whether the three-time Super Bowl champion is worthy of earning a bust in Canton.
It's frankly gotten out of hand. People are losing their minds, largely as they argue with nobody. It's wild.
Why are they getting so mad?
Anyways, The Boston Globe's Ben Volin decided to actually interview some Hall of Fame voters to get a gauge on whether Edelman will actually be getting any votes once he is eligible for enshrinement in 2026. If they all said "no way," then the debate and the arguing and the SCREAMING and the VIOLENT AND PHYSICAL THREATS could all go away forever.
But surprisingly, not all of the interviewed voters pooh-poohed Edelman's case. In fact, some voters are all in on the JE11 Express to Canton.
Volin said that two of the six voters he interviewed will "probably" cast a vote for Edelman to make the Hall.
Ultimately, if that ratio holds true, Edelman will fall short of enshrinement. But garnering 33.3 percent of a small sample of voters does lend credence to the notion that Edelman's legendary postseason performance (namely his 73 receptions for 1,011 yards and a Super Bowl-winning touchdown, plus the 51-yard touchdown pass that he threw, plus his Super Bowl MVP Award over nine playoff games in three Super Bowl-winning seasons, and also ranking second in NFL history for playoff receptions and receiving yards behind only Jerry Rice) will be enough to one day earn him a gold jacket.
And of the six Hall of Fame voters interviewed by Volin, it was ESPN's Sal Paolantonio who was most emphatic about his support for Edelman's case for Canton.
"I can flat-out tell you, I will be voting for Julian Edelman to get into the Hall of Fame," Paolantonio told Volin. "His postseason performance stands up better than anyone but Jerry Rice. That's a pretty good sentence when you're making a case to put Julian Edelman in the Hall of Fame."
That is, certainly, a noteworthy comment. And at the very least, the two out of six theoretical votes of support for Edelman's HOF case from actual HOF voters should inspire those who aggressively oppose the mere discussion about Edelman and the Hall of Fame to take a step back, take a deep breath, and understand that the matter is unquestionably worth consideration. Dozens of other receivers have compiled bigger stats and more accolades in the regular season, and that very well may keep Edelman out of Canton. Everybody understands that.
But outside of Jerry Rice, nobody has his postseason résumé, and nobody has his story.
To some voters, that will matter. To some Internet Arguers, it will not. People will remain miffed!
And while the argument won't be settled soon, the results of Volin's straw poll and the resounding case made by Paolantonio confirmed that at minimum, the discussion and consideration is not a concoction of a small pocket of Patriots fans. The discussion is indeed very real, and will continue to be real in the coming years.
Enjoy the internet arguing, everybody.