Saturday, March 15, 2014

Edelman, Pats find middle ground, agree to deal

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

After a week-long staring contest, the New England Patriots and wide receiver Julian Edelman finally blinked.

The team's No. 1 contributor in the passing game reportedly agreed to a deal Saturday, according to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston, ensuring quarterback Tom Brady will have his favorite target back for a least one more season.

Edelman decided to test the free-agent market this past week despite ongoing negotiations with New England, but ultimately called Foxborough "home" via Twitter Saturday, saying he's "excited to be back."

He visited San Francisco earlier in the week.

The soon-to-be 28-year-old hauled in more than 100 catches and led the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last season, proving to be the only sure thing in a shaky wideout corps. Though known as more a slot-type replacement for Wes Welker, Edelman played a majority of his snaps in 2013 lined up on the outside, with Danny Amendola taking the slot when he was healthy.

The former Kent State star is expected to again be a big part of the team's passing game this season and also to continue to chip in on special teams, where he returned 35 punts last season at nearly 11 yards per attempt.

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