Report: Julian Edelman Getting Two-Year Contract Extension From Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots are taking care of their Super Bowl MVP.
According to the NFL Network, Julian Edelman is close to signing a two-year contract extension that would keep with the Patriots through 2021.
The receiver, who will turn 33 years old on Wednesday, was set to become a free agent after the upcoming 2019 season.
Mike Garafolo first reported the news, stating it was a multi-year extension. Ian Rapoport then specified that it's a two-year extension and that Edelman will be given a "well-deserved raise" in salary.
The #Patriots are giving WR Julian Edelman a two-year extension, source said, potentially taking him to the end of his career and allowing him to retire in New England. A well-deserved raise, too.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 21, 2019
ESPN's Mike Reiss then reported that the deal was done, and that it gives $12 million guaranteed to Edelman.
WR Julian Edelman has signed a two-year extension with the Patriots (through 2021), as first reported by @MikeGarafolo. The extension includes an $8 million signing bonus and $12 million guaranteed, per a source.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 21, 2019
Edelman was forced to sit out the first four games of the 2018 season due to a PED suspension. In 12 games, he caught 74 passes for 850 yards and six touchdowns. Prorated out over 16 games, that would have been the best season of his career if he had been able to play the full year.
In the postseason, Edelman made up for lost time. He caught 26 passes for 388 yards in three games, including 151 yards in the divisional round against the Chargers and 141 yards in the Super Bowl against the Rams. Edelman earned Super Bowl MVP honors for his efforts.
Based on the length of the extension and Edelman's age, it appears as though the team is giving Edelman the opportunity to spend his entire career as a member of the Patriots, an honor not often given to even the very best players during the Patriots' two separate runs to winning three Super Bowls.