Julian Edelman plans to stay retired, has nothing left to prove

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end and future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski has suggested on multiple occasions this offseason that wide receiver and Super Bowl LIII Most Valuable Player Julian Edelman will eventually end his retirement and join Gronkowski and fellow former New England Patriots teammate Tom Brady in Florida. 

During a recent appearance on "The Michael Irvin Podcast," Edelman seemed to shoot that idea down. 

"My knee’s breaking down, I’m not gonna sit here, you know, I got everything I wanted," Edelman explained, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "I got three rings, played in a magical dynasty, with an unbelievable franchise coach, best quarterback of all times, like, yo, I’m not a greedy guy. I played to win, I played to compete, I don’t need anything else to prove. I’m good with what I did, I left it all out on the field."

Edelman is coming off knee surgery and was reportedly going to miss at least a portion of the upcoming campaign before the Patriots terminated his contract ahead of his announced retirement. The 34-year-old could, however, feel the itch to catch passes from an old friend this fall, especially if Brady and the Buccaneers need the help at some point in November or December and Edelman is up to playing in only a handful of games. 

Sitting one season out did wonders for Gronkowski, after all.