Following a report last week that Julian Edelman’s knee would severely limit him during the 2021 season, Julian Edelman announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday.

Edelman leaves the Patriots as one of the most decorated players in franchise history. A three-time Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl LIII MVP, he is second in team history in catches, and the leading all-time punt returner.

Yet for a player like Edelman, who was at his best was the stage was the biggest, individual moments stand out as much as his entire body of work. What were the best moments in his 11 seasons with the Patriots? Let’s take a look.

• 11. Rookie year preseason punt return

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  Right from the beginning, Edelman let us know he was going to be a special player. In his first ever preseason game, he returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown.
  
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• 10. 77-yard catch-and-run vs. Miami

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  This play was the highlight from Edelman's then-career-high 151 receiving yards. However, what people probably remember more in the block from Michael Floyd that sprung him loose.
  
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• 9. Playing Cornerback

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  Due to mounting injuries in the secondary, the quarterback-turned-receiver had to turn into a cornerback during the 2011 season. He recorded 18 tackles, and managed to avoid getting beat too badly.
  
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• 8. Career-high 179 receiving yards

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  Despite missing most of his final season due to a knee injury, Edelman left Patriots fans with one final explosive memory. In a Week 2 Sunday Night Football game against the Seahawks, he caught eight passes for a career-high 179 yards. The Patriots would lose the game on the final play.
  
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• 7. Comeback vs. Denver

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  Down 24 points at halftime to Peyton Manning and the Broncos, the Patriots came storming back. It also happened to be one of Edelman's first real breakout games. He caught nine passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns, including one in the fourth quarter that put the Patriots ahead. Fittingly, the TD starts at 12:11 in the video clip.
  
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• 6. “I had to go see my guy”

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  Edelman would burn the Broncos again in 2014, when he set a new Patriots franchise record with his fourth career punt return TD. This set up what became the defining moment of the Brady/Edelman relationship, with Brady running all the way to the end zone to celebrate the score.
  
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• 5. ‘You’re too old!’

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  Edelman caught seven passes for 96 yards in this game, and muffed a punt that nearly cost the Patriots a trip to the Super Bowl. Yet what everybody will remember most is his two catches on the game-winning overtime drive, both coming on third and long. That, and him yelling "You're too old!" at Tom Brady on the sideline.
  
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• 4. The Kam Chancellor hit

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  With the Patriots facing a must-have 3rd-and-14 down 10 in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX, Tom Brady found Julian Edelman over the middle beyond the sticks. Despite a massive blow from Kam Chancellor, he held onto the ball for the first down - plus extra yardage. He'd torch the Legion of Boom for nine catches and 109 yards in the game, and caught what ended up being the game-winning touchdown - on a play they'd already run earlier in the game.
  
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• 3. “The Pass”

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  This may be the greatest non-Super Bowl play from the Patriots dynasty. Bill Belichick waited six years to let the college QB throw his first NFL pass, but they picked the exact right time. The touchdown tied the game and erased the Patriots' second 14-point deficit of the night and sent the Gillette Stadium crowd into a frenzy.
  
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• 2. “That’s a catch!”

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  Edelman wasn't about to let the 28-3 comeback slip through his fingers. On the eventual game-tying drive of Super Bowl LI, Edelman caught a deflected pass just inches from the ground, beating three Falcons defenders to the ball. It is arguably the most miraculous catch in Super Bowl history.
  
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• 1. Super Bowl LIII

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  While the rest of the Patriots offense (and the entire Rams offense) struggled to get any momentum, Edelman took the fight to the L.A. secondary. He caught 10 passes for 141 yards, and was named Super Bowl MVP - becoming the first wide receiver to win the award since Santonio Holmes in the 2008 season.
  
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Click here for 98.5 The Sports Hub’s complete coverage of the Patriots.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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